Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny
by Ghost43843
Summary: Lady Hild decides that she is tired of her daughter not having someone special in her life, and wants an heir to her throne. So, she hatches a plan and sets into motion a change that will tear the very fabric of Fate, and reset the destiny of a mortal and a goddess. However, even the best plans set in motion are prone to problems... Rated T, to be safe.
1. Prologue

_Authors Notes: Ah, a new year. Time to let the cobwebs out and get what has been rattling around in my head for several months onto paper, so to speak. I thank those that have favorited and reviewed my past works. I will be getting back to finishing my Resident Evil one, eventually. Decided to get some of the fresh ones out of my head first. How far I take this experiment will depend on what responses I get to this. Recently fell in love with AMG, or OMG, depending on how you look at the translation. So, deciding to try it out and see how it goes. I never would have tried an Urd/Keiichi pairing, but after reading Davner's wonderful "Haloes", decided to try a slight twist with my own. As always, thanks for reading, and may it be as enjoyable for you to read, as it was for me to write it._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ah!/Oh! My Goddess, or their characters. However, I do own my original creation of Diademonica. She is a character I created for a series I hope to get published professionally some time._

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

By: Ghost43843

Prologue

Fenris grunted in both exertion and frustration, his patience much thinned since he arrived at this cursed temple's grounds. Mistress Hild wanted this taken care of quickly and efficiently, but thanks to that idiot mortal it wasn't the case. While he drug the unconscious Keiichi Morisato toward his portal, his eyebrow twitched at the wreckage left behind from their struggle. For such a "dim-witted" and "easy-target" described by Lady Hild, the demon assassin encountered much more trouble than he expected. Damned if he hadn't slashed Keiichi more then he meant to. _I trust Lady Hild will forgive me, after all, I don't usually bring targets back alive…or in one piece._

The assassin puffed as he set the inert human onto the transport portal. There was quite a mess that was left behind, but, perhaps it actually was for the better. There could be no doubt that something unpleasant happened here in this sanctuary from his kind. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing to have bled the human as he did. There was a very nice trail of blood left upon the superb floor of the temple. His mouth twitched in amusement while he lazily tossed a few small fireballs into the floor, and a couple up toward the ceiling. Of course, not enough to cause a fire, but they made very nice scorch marks. Now, it looked like even more of a battle then it had been. He smiled thinly and chewed his lip. _I hope Lady Hild knows what she is doing, and that we do this quickly. If not, well…_

Fenris jerked his head toward the main entrance of the temple. It wasn't long now, as the goddesses probably found that their precious seal of protection was missing, and that ridiculous robot were wrecked. He didn't have much time until they penetrated the temple. As if to punctuate this thought, he heard a feminine voices as she shouted outside. He now had mere seconds, and without a further look toward the doorway, jabbed the symbol upon the floor of the mortal's room. As it glowed with power, he dropped to one knee and placed a hand upon the unconscious human. "Shades within Darkness, hear the Shadow as it moves. Grant my travel to Daimakaicho."

XXX

Belldandy, Urd, Skuld, and Lind ran quickly into the deserted temple. Not even an hour ago earth time, they left Keiichi behind to pursue Mara. It turned out to be a ruse, as the demoness laughed at them, then vanished in a puff of black smoke. As soon as Mara vanished, Belldandy felt a lump of worry that formed itself in the pit of her stomach. She never left without a fight, or at least a nasty retort or sneer toward the goddesses. Why would she just leave? It wasn't like she had to be somewhere else, was there? Belldandy's eyes widened. _She didn't need to be elsewhere, but maybe, just maybe THEY needed…_

Belldandy and her sisters made it to the temple grounds, and immediately her concern and fear were justified. The protection barrier that they left for Keiichi was gone, and there wasn't a trace of Skuld's robot Banpei-kun. Skuld grudgingly changed the defense matrix to include Keiichi, and gave him the same protection that his sister shared. With that being the case, where in the name of heaven was that machine?

"Look!" Skuld shouted.

Belldandy's head whipped toward the direction that her sister pointed toward. Smoke and sparks continued to cascade from the ruined machine. Whatever it is that destroyed her machine, it was powerful. She looked at Urd and Lind. "I will go into the front, both of you go around the sides and come in the back!"

Both goddesses nodded, and without a word, ran like the wind toward the back. Her feelings of dread intensified as Belldandy entered the temple. One of the doors hung off the frame, and there was wreckage strewn about the interior. Belldandy felt the tears as they stung her eyes. Something horrible happened here, and whatever it was, Keiichi must have put up an enormous fight. She glanced at the scorch marks on the floor and ceiling. Her eyes continued their trek as she tried in vain to find any clues…

Belldandy's heart thudded painfully in her chest as she saw the blood. She reached down and placed a finger into a rapidly drying small puddle. Her eyes widened in recognition. _Oh, my Keiichi! What happened to you?_ She reached out with her mind, and felt the last traces of demonic energy as it evaporated. She shot through the hallway, and there within his wrecked room, there was a burned outline of a portal on his floor. _They took Keiichi?! But why? He is no threat to them!_

"Belldandy!"

Belldandy's head jerked up at Urd's shout. She wiped her face, and headed to the doorway. "I am here, in Keiichi's room."

Urd stopped in the hallway, just outside Keiichi's room. Her eyes widened in shock at the condition of his room. It matched the destruction she passed on her way in here. She dropped to her knees as her eyes settled upon the remains of the spent portal. The Norn couldn't get her mouth to work, it kept opening and closing. Finally, with glazed eyes, her head moved up, and her eyes met Belldandy's.

"They captured Keiichi? Why would they take him? He has never harmed any of them!"

Belldandy shook her head. Tears spilled down her cheeks. "I don't know, Urd, it doesn't make sense. He isn't a threat, and I thought that Hild liked him!"

XXX

Keiichi moaned in pain. His head pounded in time with his heartbeat, and he felt numerous slashes and bruises on his body. _Uh, what happened? I remember I was at the temple, Bell and the others left to track Mara, but…I don't remember anything else._ He tried to rub his face, but found he couldn't move. _What the hell? What is going on?_

"The mortal finally wakes, my Lady." A raspy voice proclaimed.

Someone clapped their hands once. "Excellent! Time to get this wonderful project underway."

Keiichi groaned again. He knew that voice, so sultry but commanding at the same time. _Oh gods, I am stuck here with Lady Hild!_

"Yes, dear boy, you are indeed stuck here with me." She whispered into his ear, a puff of breath that caused him to shiver. "You will thank me when we are done, Keiichi, as we are going to make you a new man!"

"Man, my Lady?"

Lady Hild huffed in annoyance. "Well, close enough, anyways."


	2. Chapter 1-Questions

_Author's Notes: Well, here we move on. I have decided to pull some of my characters from the universe of one of my actual novels into this. I think it will be fun, as it will let me play with her powers and abilities within the AMG universe. The ones that are being pulled into the AMG universe are:_

_Diademonica- She is an unusual hybrid, as she is half ascended human, and half demoness knight. She is almost 900 years old, and works in the modern day as a paranormal investigator/bounty hunter. With her unusual genetics, she is the first Dimension Strider the world has seen for almost 1500 years. It is that ability that allows her to come into this universe. Carries a semi-sentient blade named Apocalypse, and she has a sentient armor bonded to her named Abyss._

_Lady Hariasa- Diademonica's mother, she is a fallen warrior angel who became a demoness out of pride. She is the most notorious of the Shadow Stalkers, an order of blood knights that are always at the forefront of the battle between heaven and hell. She cares for her daughter in her own way, but has difficult ways of showing it. She is known for having a nasty temper and sharp tongue, so it isn't a good idea to cross her. _

_Cyruxinate a.k.a. "Cyrus"- Diademonica's familiar. When he is not joined within her, he takes the appearance of a simple orange and white tabby cat. He is a storehouse of knowledge and lore, but his chosen form also reflects his general laziness. He normally communicates with his mistress by telepathy, but anyone can hear him if he chooses. Has the ability to morph into a hellcat to assist her._

_Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own Ah! My Goddess or any of the characters created there. However, I do own the ones that I imported into the AMG universe from my own writing._

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter One

Questions

"How in the name of heaven did someone mange to break my seal? That should be impossible!"

Urd, Skuld, and Lind sat around the dining table in the small kitchen. All of them had looks of utter astonishment upon their faces. It was like Belldandy said, it should have been impossible for someone to break her barrier of protection. There were few that operated in this realm that had that kind of power. Hild was tossed out of the picture, since they would have felt her presence here. For some reason, Urd especially looked troubled, but Belldandy didn't give it much thought. Not to mention, what about the System Force? Where was it during all this? It was supposed to keep Belldandy and Keiichi from being parted!

Lind chewed her lip, and glanced up at Belldandy. "Not only would it have to be someone powerful, but it would have to be someone whom was associated with heaven and knew the proper passwords and procedures."

Belldandy shook her head. "No. There is no way anyone from heaven would come down here and remove my barrier spell. Whomever it was must have disabled the System Force as well, as it never even twitched!"

Lind glanced away from her. There was a thought, but it troubled her to even have to say it. _Perhaps it was only one that formally had been in heaven._ "I think we know what this points to, but no one wants to say it."

Urd was ashen. "Yeah," she whispered. "It means that if it wasn't someone from heaven, it was someone whom at one time had an affiliation with heaven, and served The Almighty One."

Belldandy tapped her fingers in frustration on the tabletop while she looked at her sister. "Urd, that wouldn't be possible! No one has left heaven in centuries!"

Urd shook her head. "Much longer than that, Belldandy. Remember when there was rebellion in heaven, and several former goddesses, gods, and angels left with my mother?"

Belldandy gasped. "You don't think that…"

Lind nodded, her lip curled in anger. "Yes, Belldandy, it could easily have been one of the Fallen that did this. Plenty of them had some form of imagined grudge or slight against heaven."

"No…why would they…"

Lind shook her head again. "Don't know, Belldandy. One of them could easily have done this, especially if it had been Loki, Fenris, or Hoenir." Her eyes narrowed. "That would be their style."

Urd slammed her hands on the tabletop, which startled the others. "We will need help on this one, we need to get up to heaven and see if we can use Yggdrasil to maybe track down some leads." She sighed loudly. "We are going to need help on this one."

XXX

Aurora, Colorado. U.S.A.

Bright sunlight streamed into a second story office window of a standard building complex. Since it had been cloudy for days, the light was welcomed by all who lived and worked here. Well, except by a woman who groaned lightly as the light penetrated her eyelids. Diademonica put her feet upon her polished wooden desk, and covered her eyes with a hand. You would have thought that with having an ascended human for a father, and a demoness for a mother, that she would have a natural ability to withstand any assorted poisons. Her monster hangover and nausea told her otherwise. _Shit, how much did I drink last night to be this hung over?_ She groaned again and adjusted her chair as she tried in vain to move away from the bright light.

_You know, it wouldn't hurt for you to clean in here a little once in a while. Oh, and my food bowl is empty too, just FYI._

Dia moved her hand so one violet colored eye wedged open, and glared at the orange and white tabby that perched upon the desktop next to her. She watched as he licked a paw, and gave himself a quick bath. He stopped bathing himself, and starred unblinking at his mistress. _Well? Are you going to get off your ass, or do I need to hack a hairball to get you to move?_

Dia growled. "Cyrus, I hope you realize that you are an obnoxious ass in the morning, right?"

The cat blinked once, and his tail twitched in annoyance. _I warned you about that stuff. When Jacques says, "Hey, Dia, try this!" it usually isn't a good idea to take him up on his offer. His knowledge of the perfect 'mixed drink' has eluded him for centuries. After that last attempt of his last week, you ended up in a fetal position barfing for a couple of hours. I figured you learned your lesson. _He glared at her. _I hope feel really good about yourself, since you are supposed to be meeting a client within a few hours. It will do your reputation wonders to be hung over. Bravo._

Dia groaned loudly. Shit. She forgot about her client coming by today. She inhaled deeply, and went to stand up. The room swirled a bit out of focus, and her head returned to its pounding state. God, it felt like Led Zeppelin set up a concert inside her head, and then blew out a few amps during the performance. She staggered a bit, and put her hands on her desktop to steady herself. She heard the sound of amused laughter in her head. She glared daggers at the tabby. "Oh shut it, you furry nuisance. Why don't you go chase a mouse or something useful while I get myself presentable."

The cat starred unblinking at her again. _Seriously? Get yourself presentable? It has taken nine centuries so far, and I haven't seen any improvement yet._

Dia growled lightly, and grabbed her keys off her desk. With a flick of a small button, a red laser dot pointer appeared on the floor. The tabby starred at the dot, and jumped off the desk. She ran it back and forth several times across the floor, and watched as he chased it. _Oh! Must catch it, must catch it! Pretty light must catch…_

Cyrus smacked into the wall at full speed. Dia grinned as she gingerly moved over to him and prodded him with her boot. Sometimes, it was just too easy. _Oh…what the hell happened?_ Dia loomed over him and stuck her tongue out at her familiar. "Serves you right, Cyrus. Next time, keep the snarkiness to yourself, Oui?"

XXX

Yggdrasil Control Room

Belldandy tapped her foot in impatience. She was very worried for Keiichi, as there had been no word now for one standard earth day. Urd and Skuld worked quietly in the corner with Ex as they checked through numerous files. She still wasn't sure if they checked Yggdrasil for information about their potential breach, or the assistance that they sought. Belldandy chewed her lip in nervous frustration. _Oh, my dearest Keiichi! What are they doing to you?_

Urd's eyes darted back and forth between several screens. They had already gone through several old files and folders that dated back to the split in heaven, but still hadn't found anything useful. She tried to find any information on the three names that Lind mentioned, but there wasn't anything at all in the system on them. It was maddening, how could there not be any files on them? Anyone who had served heaven had a file in the system. Hell, her own mother had a file in the system. Her brows furrowed in thought. _Unless they…were removed or deleted, somehow?_

A beep drew Urd's attention to the screen to her right, and a new file came to the forefront. She cocked her head in curiosity. This was where she typed in her queries and parameters that they needed for their help. Truly she hadn't expected anything to come from this, since there wasn't anyone here in this realm that was sure to be of any assistance. She pulled up the file, and hit the 'Copy' command. The file materialized on the desktop beside her, and she drew it to her. She opened the file, and glanced at the picture of the rather severe looking, but pretty, woman. Urd's eyes rested upon the name, her brows furrowed in puzzlement:

**Diademonica**

XXX

Somewhere in Niflheim

Lady Hild tapped her fingers with impatience upon the scarred tabletop. Fenris stood at her side as they both watched the demon in the room across from them while he worked his magic. Keiichi was taking longer to be prepared for the joining then she thought he would, and she growled lightly. "You and your damn pure heart. Why did you have to be such a goody-goody? Haven't you ever wanted to live a little?"

Fenris kept his face neutral. It was wise to never push your luck with the Duchess of Hell. His eyebrow quirked. "I doubt he would have been so loved by the goddesses if he hadn't been, my Lady."

Hild looked up at him sweetly, which caused Fenris to quietly gulp. She saw his reaction and nodded once. It was good to keep the underlings in line. No sense in getting soft now, even if she did have a small soft spot for the former Yggdrasil main programmer. She glanced back at the demon before them again, and she smiled in delight as he now turned toward them with a toothy grin.

"The preparations are completed, My Lady. Who should we use as his companion?"

Hild grinned and clapped her hands once. "Why don't we use a classic, Cerberus? Why not bring out Corruption, I am sure she is ready to twist another mortal to my whims. She will enjoy twisting Keiichi."

Cerberus grinned wider, his fangs flashed in the dim light. "As you command, My Lady. I dare say she will relish the challenge this one will grant."

XXX

Corruption stretched, and popped her neck. It had been eons since she was last given the gift to corrupt a mortal, and she wanted so much to have a new challenge. She smiled sweetly as Cerberus appeared in a puff of black smoke before her. He grinned at her. "Well, Lady Corruption, are you ready to really sink your fangs into your greatest mortal challenge ever?"

Corruption strode forward, and poked a finger lightly into his chest. She walked slowly around the demon, and drug her finger over his chest and over his shoulder before she withdrew her hand. She watched in satisfaction as he shivered in pleasure at her lightest touch. She still had it. "Of course. Just point me toward him."

XXX

Keiichi moaned. His whole body ached, as if he went several rounds with the American boxer Mike Tyson. He couldn't remember very much, just that somehow he was now in Hild's domain. The thought of that alone scared him now more than ever. Since his eyes refused his command to open, there was no way he could even know where in Hild's playground he could be. Why was he here? Belldandy would be sick with worry about him. He just hoped that she didn't do something desperate to get him out of here. It hurt to think, felt like he had voices scratching and clawing within his head. _Will this pain ever stop? Why in the hell did Hild bring me here?_

"I have great plans for you, Keiichi-san." A sultry voice whispered in his ear. Keiichi shivered, he HATED it when she did that. "Oh, do you now? Why would that be I wonder?"

Keiichi tried to jerk his head away from her, but just like the rest of his body, he couldn't move. Hild giggled and kissed him lightly on the cheek before she stepped away. Keiichi would have shivered if his body responded. He definitely understood where Urd got her sultriness from. _I would definitely take Urd over Hild any day of the week._

"That, my dear boy, is the idea."

Keiichi didn't like the tone of her voice, there was something…final, about it. He sensed someone else as they stepped into the room, and his nerves were now even more on edge. "Hmmph. This is the one that Cerberus spoke of?"

"Yup, he is the one."

Keiichi moaned as he felt the lightest touch on his chest, and felt it lightly drug up his neck, past his ear, and then vanished. If he could have moved he would have shivered. There was something about that touch, it just felt…good.

"Hmmm, perhaps this will be a fun challenge after all. I sense his abounding pureness." Corruption coughed. "It is sickening."

Hild clapped her hands with glee once again. "Yup, that it is, Corruption. Do try to have fun, dear."


	3. Chapter 2-Surprise!

_Author's Note: I wished to thank those that have already favorited and followed this story. I enjoy telling a good story to a good audience. As always, please feel free to review and tell me what you think._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ah! My Goddess, or any of the characters that are native to the series. I only own the ones that I have imported into this from my own Diademonica novel I am working on._

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter Two

Surprise!

Goddess Relief Center

"That is your idea of help?!"

Urd grumbled and rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration. She read over the file Yggdrasil provided for Diademonica, and thought that the fellow half demon would be an asset to their team. However, Urd had not considered what the most powerful Valkyrie thought of the situation. She sighed loudly. "Yes, Lind, I think she will prove most helpful in this situation."

Lind's eyes were wide, and her lip was curled in anger. She stabbed at the folder with her finger. "That woman is an abomination! She shouldn't be recruited to help, she should be destroyed!"

Urd's eyes flashed in anger. "Why is she an abomination, Lind? Is it because she is half demon?" She asked dangerously.

The Valkyrie gulped and backed up a step. She glanced over at Belldandy, who gazed at her imploringly. Lind backed down, and gazed back at the pissed off Urd. She nodded slightly. "My apologies, Urd. I chose my words poorly, I meant no disrespect to you." Urd relaxed slightly, her eyes still held anger there. "Look," Lind began again. "I don't think it is a good idea to bring her into this. You are much different then she is, Urd."

Urd calmed, but only slightly. "How, Lind? We both are half demon, so I don't see the distinction between her and myself. I was a vessel for the Lord of Terror, she wasn't. So please, enlighten me, how are we different?"

Lind took two steps toward her, and placed a hand on Urd's shoulder. "You chose to follow the path of heaven, and used your dark half to assist you on the journey of your life. You are more than the sum of your genes. You genuinely try to help people." Lind brought the folder up and shook it lightly. "From what I have read in here, she seems to revel in her dark powers. She seems to be what the humans call a 'functional drunk', and she has a familiar for heaven's sake! Nothing more than a small demon that is permanently bonded to her! In my eyes, she is dangerous, and would have to be watched all the time that she is here!"

"Like I am?" Urd whispered lightly.

Lind removed her hand looked down at the ground. It was true, they did still keep an eye on her, even more so after the Lord of Terror incident. Suddenly uncomfortable, the Valkyrie swallowed again. This is why she didn't mingle with her fellow goddesses much. She saw things too much as black and white, and didn't know what to do with the gray. It had not been her intention to upset Urd, and she still looked upset. She sighed loudly, and rubbed her eyes.

"If I may?"

Lind and Urd turned toward Belldandy. "Lind, I know that you are not fond of the idea of asking for help from this woman. She deserves the benefit of the doubt though, doesn't she?" Her eyes turned sad. "Keiichi is in trouble, and she may be exactly who we need to get him back. Should we not ask for all the help that we can?"

Lind sighed again and rubbed her temples. "Fine, Belldandy. If she doesn't do anything to threaten the safety of anyone here, I will keep my objections to a minimum."

Belldandy smiled and nodded slowly. "Thank you, Lind. Your insight is always welcome and appreciated."

Urd crossed her arms and sat down on a table behind her. "This is all moot if we can't get her here. How do you propose we do that?"

Belldandy smiled as she gestured toward her empty phone station located in the corner. "The same way that we ended up meeting Keiichi in the beginning. We will let her fingers do the walking, and Yggdrasil handle the rest."

XXX

Aurora, Colorado U.S.A.

Diademonica stepped out of the shower, and toweled her hair mostly dry. That hot shower felt really good, and it was good to be out of Abyss for just a little while. Ever since her mother gifted her the semi-sentient armor when she became an adult centuries ago, she rarely was without it. The fact that she could just think of an outfit and it creates the look, has saved her a shitload of money over the centuries. Too bad she still has to buy shoes and boots though….

She tossed the towel toward her hamper, and just caught the edge. She glanced at it, and shrugged. Big deal, she would take care of it later. Not like she was expecting any company to visit her bathroom anytime soon. She pulled on her black panties and bra, and shrugged into her leathers. Dia found out long ago that if she didn't wear them, Abyss had a tendency to…chafe, in some very unpleasant areas. Trying to explain to her mother why she couldn't sit for a few days was an ordeal not worth going through again.

With her underclothes on, the investigator pulled the parts of Abyss onto herself. She felt the momentary disorientation as it symbiotically joined with her, and became her second skin. She smiled as she felt the excitement that emanated from the armor. _Looks like it is going to be a good day today. Perhaps meeting with this client will indeed be worthwhile._

Dia headed toward her main office area, and pulled her cellphone off her desk. She blinked. _Shit, forgot to charge it last night, bet it is nearly out of juice._ She rubbed her finger across the face of the phone to bring it out of hibernation. She glared at the battery indicator. Yup, it was at 10%, barely enough to get about 5 minutes on the phone. _Damn. With all the modern advances, you would have thought these things could charge themselves._

She grumbled as she opened the top drawer of her desk. She rummaged around in it for a moment and drew a blank. _What the hell? Where did I put that damn thing?_ She growled as she slammed the drawer. Great, now she couldn't charge her bloody phone. She pulled open the lower drawer, and removed her trusty bottle of Jack Daniels, and an old shot glass. She placed the glass onto the desktop, and poured herself a shot. Without any hesitation, she gulped the contents in one sitting, and enjoyed the burning sensation as it went down. She grinned.

_Are you serious? Drinking again this soon? What is it with you this morning?_

Dia poured herself another shot and glared at her companion. "Go away, Cyrus. I will call the client here in a minute."

The orange and white tabby cocked its head. _It isn't my place to comment, perhaps, but you are beginning to worry me, mistress. This is reckless even for you. What is with you?_

Dia downed her second shot, and coughed once before she wiped her mouth. "Have you seen where my cell phone charger went to? I can't seem to find it."

_Dia, don't make a grown familiar beg. What is wrong? You have not been yourself for quite some time. I promise, cat doesn't have your tongue._

The investigator let the joke slide and sighed loudly as she plopped down into her chair. "I don't know, Cyrus, I just feel…restless. I haven't had a good challenge in several months. Since things have quieted down from the rogue angel affair, the need for my help and services has nearly dried up. I have a need for a great challenge, but nothing even remotely interesting has happened for quite a while." She smiled sardonically. "Hell, the client I will be calling will probably want nothing more than a poltergeist expelled, or something else that even a jaded medium could do with their eyes closed. I am just…bored."

Cyrus blinked, and licked his paw. _I knew something was wrong with you. Dia, you really need to get a hobby other than drinking. It will help pass the time, and maybe give you something worthwhile to do. Oh, as for your charger, no idea. Haven't seen it for a while now. Oh, about my food bowl, it is still empty, just thought I would mention it. You know, so I don't starve, or something._

Dia watched the tabby bath himself for a bit, and shook her head. "Thanks, Mom." She muttered darkly. With another sigh, she stood and collected her bottle of Jack and the shot glass. Still muttering, she opened the bottom draw and gently placed them inside before she shut it. With a growl, she headed over to her wall phone. She looked at it for a moment. "I hate these things."

_Deal with it, princess._

Dia growled. "Shut it, hairball. I can always find where I stashed that thermometer. You look slightly under the weather, and need your temperature taken…"

She grinned in satisfaction as the cat vanished into the bedroom. She loved that threat, and one day, she was going to go through with it. However, not right now. She stared at the wall as she picked up the phone. She started to dial the number, but stopped. _Oh, shit. I can't remember…was that a triple 3 or double 4 in their number? Ah hell with it, if it is the wrong number, I hang up and try again._

XXX

Goddess Relief Office

"So, what, we are supposed to wait for an accidental call?" Skuld huffed. "She doesn't have Keiichi's luck, how do we know this woman will manage to hit the right numbers?"

Belldandy smiled. "Have faith, Skuld. Faith, and the System Force make for a great combina-"

As if on command, the phone started to ring. Belldandy smile broadened. "Here we go…"

XXX

Aurora, Colorado U.S.A.

Diademonica tapped the wall with impatience. _Come on, come on. How long does it take to just pick up a damn phone?_ She heard the click, and tried to sound happier then she felt. "Hello, this is Diademonica, I was calling you back…"

"Stand by, I will be right there to speak with you."

Dia's mouth hung open, and she blinked. _Be right here? What the hell is she talking about?_ Her eyes darted to her mirror that hung to the left of where here wall phone was placed. It started to glow, and a head started to come through into the room.

Quickly, she dropped the phone and left backwards, and rolled away. She pushed herself up from her roll and landed on her feet. She willed Apocalypse into her hand, and it transformed into a black and red katana. Abyss picked up her thoughts, and it shifted and configured until the plates of demonic metal settled into place. Her eyes shifted from violet to gold, and her hair changed to a metallic silver color. She was ready for anything that dared threaten her in her own home.

The woman that floated through the mirror and stepped onto the floor was very pretty. Long, blonde hair floated out behind her and fell down her back. Her large eyes were blue, and very expressive. Despite what was bound to be a calculated threatening appearance, the woman showed no fear at Dia's appearance. She frowned slightly, and smirked at the unknown woman's style of dress. Reminded her of the mediums and tarot card readers she encountered. _Wow, she is either very brave, or very naïve. Of course with dressing like that, I would bet whoever this is must be plain crazy._

"What is wrong with my clothes? Are they objectionable?"

Dia blinked. _Did she just read my mind?_

"Yes, I did just read your mind. Can't you do that, too?"

The investigator blinked rolled her eyes, and rested her blade against her shoulder. _Perhaps I should get another drink, this looks like it is going to be a long day…_


	4. Chapter 3-Alliance

_Disclaimer: I do not own AMG, or the any of the characters native to that series. I only own my creations from another universe._

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter Three

Alliances

Aurora, Colorado U.S.A.

"Who or what in the name of the hell are you?" Dia demanded with a slight edge in her voice. "Are you a demon, faerie, angel, or what?" She glanced at the mirror. "I have not seen anything move that way through mirrors before."

The pretty woman smiled benignly. "Good day to you, Diademonica, I am-"

_By the nine pits! A Goddess!_

Both Dia and Belldandy glanced toward the tabby that stood unblinking on the desktop. Dia hesitated, and backed up a step. She turned slightly, her eyes not leaving the woman before her. "Cyrus, you know whom this is?" She asked incredulously.

Cyrus chuckled and swished his tail before he rolled his eyes. _Of course I know what she is, not whom. This is a Goddess, Dia. First one I have seen in this dimension since the late B.C. period._

Dia relaxed, but only slightly. Her eyes slid back to their native violet color. "Cyrus," She asked sweetly. "Just HOW do you know what this…person is? What are you keeping from me?"

The tabby's tail swished a few times in irritation. _I am not always here in this dimension with you at all times, mistress. There are times that I…need to get away from you. Being your familiar is very trying._

With the knowledge that it was a true Goddess before her, the investigator lowered her guard a little more. Her hair slid back to black, and she released Apocalypse back to the ether. She still kept her armor in defense mode, since she still didn't have any idea what this 'Goddess' wanted from her. She clanked lightly as she headed to her chair and sat down. It groaned some under the increased weight of the plated armor. She put her armored feet up on her desktop again, careful not to bring her heel down on her cell phone. She still kept a wary eye on her 'visitor'. "What the hell would a 'Goddess' like you want with someone like me?"

Belldandy's smile never left her face. "Hello, Diademonica, my name is Belldandy. I have come to request your help in something important."

Dia rolled her eyes. "Okay, you have my curiosity itching for relief. How the hell do you know who I am?"

"Yggdrasil has an extensive file on you, Diademonica. It is quite thorough."

Dia laughed. "So the 'world tree' has a file on me? I don't buy it, sister."

Belldandy blinked. "What is this 'world tree' you refer to? I am not trying to sell you anything, and we are not related."

Dia blinked in astonishment, then laughed hard. "Holy shit, this is an absolute riot. You are definitely naïve." She shook her head and chuckled. "You are a laugh-and-a-half, Belldandy. According to the old Norse legends, Yggdrasil is the tree on which the world thrives. You are telling me that you have, what, a computer that is called Yggdrasil?"

Belldandy nodded. "That is exactly what I am saying."

Dia chewed on her lip in thought. "Ok, just how thorough are we talking about? Basic information, or my whole life story?"

Belldandy grinned. "Your father was an ascended human sorcerer named Myrlyn, and your mother is a knight that serves the hell of this dimension. Her name is known to us, as she was one of the Almighty's guardians. Her name is Lady Hariasa."

Diademonica blinked in shock. _Wait, What? Known to them, served…what the hell?_ Her feet slid off the desk as she stood in surprise. "You are telling me that my mother is not even from this 'dimension' as you put it?"

"Hai, that is correct."

"Lie, you must be mistaken. There is no way she can be from your dimension, it is just not possible."

"Is it just as impossible for me to be standing here in your office right now?"

Dia growled lightly. "Good point. You make a good case, Belldandy. Alright, fine, for the sake of argument, I will concede that point with you. Now, the question is, what next? What do you want of me?"

Belldandy's smile turned somber. "Someone very important to me was taken recently. It is possible it was Lady Hild who was responsible for his disappearance."

Dia jerked. _Lady Hild? Why does that name sound familiar? I can't quite place it, but I have heard it before…_

"Maybe from a conversation with your mother?"

Dia face-palmed. First Cyrus, now Belldandy heard her thoughts. Nothing is sacred anymore. Her violet eyes peeked through her fingers and bored into Belldandy's blue orbs for a moment before she sighed. "Fine." She started. "If you need my help, I will happily assist you. If I find this has been just a big joke cooked up to get me upset, you will have a hell of a bill to settle."

"This is not a joke, and I wouldn't be asking for your help if I didn't need it." Belldandy assured her.

_Don't I have a say in this little conversation, or have the two of you forgotten already that there is a third party here?_

Dia grimaced. "Oh, right, sorry about that, Cyrus. Well, I sort of-"

_Forgot about me? I should find my calendar and write that one down. You actually forgetting about me being here. I may just have a party._

Dia rolled her eyes. "Just ignore him, he can be such an ass. Oh, just so the full introduction is done, Belldandy, this is Cyruxinate, and well, you know the rest."

Belldandy smiled as she bowed toward the cat. "It is good to meet you, Cyruxinate. I am hoping that we can be friends."

Cyruxinate blinked. He cocked his head as he looked at Dia. _Wow, someone actually happy to see me. That's a first._ He turned and looked at Belldandy, and swished his tail. _No need to be so formal with me, Belldandy. Everyone else calls me 'Cyrus', so you may as well too._

Belldandy nodded. "Thank you, Cyrus." She looked at Dia. "Do you need anything before we leave?"

Diademonica chewed her lip in thought. "Yeah, just a few things." She willed Apocalypse back into existence, and fastened her beloved sword onto the holders on the back of her armor. She grabbed her cell phone, and gently tossed it into the top drawer of her desk. She gave her office/living area a once over and sighed. "Wish I had time for another drink, but I guess there is business at hand." She ran a gauntleted hand through her hair. Oh, yeah, right, there was one more thing…

"Oh Cyrus…"

The tabby shook his head. _Oh, come on! Can't you just leave me here? You don't really need me to go along with you!_

Dia's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Cyrus, you never refused to go with me before. What are you hiding?"

Cyrus began to bath himself, careful to not look at his mistress. This continued for a few seconds as he switched paws. "Cyrus…"

_I just don't think it is a good idea if I come along, that's all._

The investigator walked up to Cyrus, and looked down on him, her hands upon her armored hips. "Cyrus, you are being evasive, what's up? Why are you stalling?"

_I am not stalling, I don't know-_

"Cyrus!" Dia thundered. "You can't bullshit a master bullshitter! Out with it! What's the problem?"

The tabby looked unblinking at his mistress. He knew he was pinned like a fly to paper. _Er, I might be recognized while we are there._

She blinked. "Recognized? What the hell are you talking about?" Cyrus looked toward the trash can, and the empty bottles there. Dia's eyes narrowed again. "Those bottles of Angel's Breath you keep snitching…are they…?"

Belldandy laughed in amused surprise. "So, you are the one that is doing it."

Dia rounded on Belldandy. "He was doing what, exactly?!"

"He has been the reason that we have to keep restocking the Angel's Breath in the break area."

Dia groaned and laughed ironically. "So, you are saying my familiar is pinching what, heavenly booze? Oh this is rich."

Cyrus' tail twitched in annoyance. _It isn't like that. It has no effect on me, I just like the taste. Kind of like you downing all those cans of Mountain Dew and Red Ball._

"Bull, Cyrus. Red Bull." Dia bit out. "Come on, we don't want to keep our new friends waiting."

With a sigh of resignation, Cyrus ambled over and leaped up onto Dia's shoulder. She grinned as he made himself comfortable. _I take it by that cursed smirk of yours that you won't let me forget about this, right?_

"Damn straight."

Belldandy waited patiently by the mirror, and Diademonica and her familiar stood next to her. She offered her hand, and Belldandy shook it. "Alright, Belldandy, my services at your disposal. Let's get this show on the road."

Dia looked at the mirror and cocked her head. "Ok, I'll bite. How the hell am I supposed to get there?"

Belldandy smiled. "Like this, Diademonica." She said something rapidly that Dia couldn't follow, and then placed a hand up on her shoulder. In the blink of an eye, they vanished into the mirror.

XXX

Buddhist Temple, Nekomi, Japan

Urd, Skuld, and Lind sat at the kitchen table as they waited for Belldandy to arrive with Diademonica. Urd drummed her fingers on the tabletop in impatience. This was taking entirely too long. Perhaps Belldandy was having to do everything short of threatening bodily harm to get the other woman to come here. Lind kept playing with her poleax, and it was beginning to get on Urd's nerves. Finally, she stood up and stretched. "I am going to grab some sake, anyone want any?"

Lind stared at her incredulously. "You are kidding, right? We are going to be receiving a visitor any moment, and you want to get plastered?"

Urd shrugged. "If I am drunk, then time passes more quickly. This waiting is positively annoying!"

Skuld made a face. "Just like you, Urd. Always have yourself buried in the bottle."

Urd whirled around. "Now just exactly what are you impl-"

"Sisters? Are you around?"

"In here, Belldandy." Urd shouted. "We will be right out!"


	5. Chapter 4-Tapestry

_Disclaimer: I do not own AMG or any of the characters native to that universe. I merely own the ones of my own creation from another reality._

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter Four

Tapestry

Buddhist Temple, Nekomi, Japan

Urd, Skuld, and Lind stood outside the temple in what amounted to the backyard. When Belldandy arrived with their help, they never expected what stood before them. For starters, she was definitely tall. Looked to be about six feet by Urd's reckoning. She loved that black and red armor she wore, it looked very cool. Of course, the black and red katana on her back looked rather wicked. Both the armor and the weapon looked to have been created though from a nightmare, especially all the spikes with her armor. However, she stood there with a half-smile, so she wasn't threatening or intimidating.

Urd noticed Skuld and Lind kept their distance, so that was enough for her to step forward. She grinned. "Don't mind my kid-sister and friend. Hi, I'm Urd." She thrust her hand toward the armored woman.

Diademonica smiled and shook her hand, and noticed both the strength and familiarity behind the grip. Her smile broadened. "I am Diademonica. So, you are not fully a Goddess, are you? I detect a familiar darkness within you."

Urd hesitated only a second. "No, I am half demon, same as you are, Diademonica."

Dia's grin never dropped. "I like you already, Urd. I think you and I will work together quite well. Glad to be working with you."

Cyrus blinked. _By the nine pits! Actually happy to meet someone? Actually wanting to work with them? Holy shit, somebody pinch me!_

Dia rolled her eyes. "Ignore the part-time fleabag. He has some kind of bug that crawled up his ass when he was here called 'Angel's Breath', and I think-"

"So you are the one who is stealing all those bottles!"

Perplexed, Dia turned toward the stiff shorter woman with the poleax. The Goddess glared at the tabby on her shoulder, and pointed an accusing finger at Cyrus. "You are the one snitching those bottles of Angel's Breath!"

_Uh oh! Time to go!_

Cyrus vanished in a puff of yellow smoke on her shoulder. His mistress stood there and blinked. He never did that before. Though, with everything that happened so far today, at least it didn't involve the potential for bodily harm. Well, at least not from Dia. The Goddess still fumed, so figured she wouldn't push her luck with that one yet. She nodded toward Skuld. "Hey kiddo, what's your name?"

Skuld was incensed. "I am NOT A KID!" She screamed before she turned and ran into the temple. Dia blinked a few times, and her mouth opened and closed once. Puzzled, she turned toward Belldandy. "Um, was it something I said?"

Urd chuckled. "Dia, you should know something about Skuld, she is a little, ah, sensitive, about being called a kid."

Diademonica scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, I guess so. Once again, I am making friends wherever I go…"

Urd laughed again. "Don't pay any attention to her. She will come around, eventually." An idea hit her and she grinned. "Say, do you like sake?"

Dia grinned brightly. "Hell yeah I like sake! I haven't had any in several years." Her eyes lit up. "Do you have any? Oh please, please say you do!"

Urd nodded and slapped Dia lightly on her armored back. "Come on! I have plenty in the temple!" She waved her hand a bit. "Ah, you can drop the armor. You won't need it in the temple. After all, you are among friends here!"

Dia shrugged. "Sounds great to me!" The extra demonic armored plates faded from view, and now she looked snappy in a red and black suit. "Point me toward that sake, and stand back!"

Urd and Diademonica ran into the temple, which left a pair of Goddesses blinking in shock. Lind allowed her poleax to vanish into the ether and face-palmed. "This is the exceptionally powerful and useful half demon who is going to help us get Keiichi back?" She asked incredulously.

Belldandy stared after the pair that ran into the temple. Her eyebrow arched as she chewed her lip. "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time…."

XXX

Somewhere in Niflheim

Lady Hild grew impatient. There was no way it took this long for Corruption to be implanted into Keiichi. He was altered by Cerberus to be the best vessel for her! She drummed her fingers on the scarred tabletop, her assorted bracelets and other power limiters clicked and clanked. She starred as a fly started to buzz around her. Her lip curled in disgust, and she tossed a small lightning bolt at it. To her pleasure, her aim was precise and it exploded in mid-air. _Ah, one annoyance down, oh so many to go!_

"Cerberus is ready to have you examine the young Morisato boy, My Lady."

Hild smiled brightly and clapped her hands once. "Well, I certainly hope it was worth the wait." Her grin turned deadly. "You know I don't like to be kept waiting…"

Fenris gulped and nodded. He knew two things about Lady Hild, Duchess of Hell: Rule Number One- Never argue with Lady Hild, it wasn't…healthy. Rule Number Two- Continue to observe Rule Number One if you wished to live. He saw the tiny pile of ash that was the fly, and the larger pile of ash on the other side of the room that had been a guard that displeased her. Yeah, wasn't healthy to piss off the Duchess of Hell.

Hild stood up and headed toward the door. "Well, Fenris, shall we go examine the combined work of both Cerberus and Corruption?"

"Yes, My Lady!"

XXX

Keiichi felt like his insides were pulverized, and his head was about to explode. What the hell had they done to him? He moaned softly, and hoped that this nightmare was soon over. He wanted so much to see Belldandy again, and he swore to himself that if he got out of this, he would tell her exactly what she meant to him. Assuming, of course, he ever DID get out of here. He heard a door open, and clammed up. Better that they thought he was still out.

"Mr. Keiichi?!"

He couldn't have just heard..?! "Belldandy!" He whimpered. "I am here, please, help me out of here!"

He heard the sounds of soft foot falls, and tensed slightly as he sensed a presence before him. "Bell-Belldandy?"

Keiichi was shocked when he felt soft, feminine fingers as they danced lightly over his jawline. He felt a shiver of pleasure. Something was wrong, Belldandy would never-

"Of course she wouldn't, Keiichi. That is what Mama Hild is for!"

Keiichi tensed and whimpered as she withdrew her fingers. Keiichi couldn't stand it, why was she doing this to him? Why couldn't she just leave him alone?!

"Because, my dear Keiichi, I told you. I have big plans for you, and when it is all said and done, you will thank me, dear boy. I may even get a 'thank you' from the Almighty." He felt her hot breath against his ear. "Tell me, Keiichi," She began seductively. "Are you enjoying the first major gift I gave you?"

"What gift, what the hell are you talking about?" He managed to say.

Hild grinned, and lightly licked his earlobe before she backed away. She felt satisfaction at the boy's shiver of pleasure. _Good, it progresses!_ "Well, dear boy, I guess you should meet. After all, she will be with you a very long time!"

Keiichi cocked his head. _What the hell is she-_

Pain. Waves and waves of pain surged through Keiichi's body, and his body clenched rigid. He couldn't even scream! He felt himself slipping away, and then the pain dulled. Finally, it receded too slowly into the background. He was breathing hard, and sweat trickled down his face and ran down his back. It felt like his heart was smashed, his ribs broken….

"Hello there, sweet thing."

Keiichi was fairly certain he must be hallucinating. That voice had a seductive ring to it, and it seemed almost fami-

Fingers traced his jawline again, but they were different then Hild's. Almost more…intimate. What in..?

"Don't be shy, Keiichi, you and I will have a long time to get to know one another."

Keiichi moaned. "Who…who are you?"

The voice giggled. "Why, dear Keiichi, I am your familiar."

XXX

Chamber of Moirai

The Tapestry of Life continued to be spun. Clotho spun the threads of life since time began, and would continue to spin them long after the world turned to dust. The fates of those she spun rarely interested her, but it wasn't very often that there were threads that were 'meant to be'. She continued to spin the threads of the mortal Keiichi Morisato, and the Goddess Belldandy. It was a simple joy to see two that belonged so much together.

Lachesis smiled briefly at her sister as she continued to spin the threads. Lachesis had her measuring rod, and was ready to mark where her sister Atropos needed to cut. After all, the mortals didn't last all that long, and she wanted to hurry past this one, as he seemed to be a rather nice mortal. It made her sad to mark the end of such a promising life, but that is what their job as Fates…

Lachesis was stunned. The thread kept coming, surely there must be a mistake! There was no way that a mortal lived this long! She was surprised to see Clotho's eyes were also widened in utter disbelief, and she stared hard at the threads of life she spun. "Sister, what is wrong?" Atropos looked up and placed her shears upon a table.

"I…I don't know!" Clotho gasped. "The Goddess, Belldandy, she is virtually immortal, so it makes sense that she continues, but…the mortal Keiichi. Just, it keeps coming!" She watched as the dual threads of Keiichi and Belldandy separated right before her stunned eyes. Her jaw dropped as another thread slowly made its way over to Keiichi's thread, and slowly wove itself into his thread, and continued on into the Tapestry. All three of the Fates watched in stunned surprise as the Tapestry brightened with vivid colors once the dual threads continued to merge into it. Lachesis turned to her sister.

"Whose life thread was that, sister?"

Clotho's hands shook as she lightly touched the thread. Her eyes widened in pleasant, happy surprise. Tears formed in her eyes, and trickled down her cheeks. She turned toward both of her sisters, the tears still fell unheeded.

"It is the life thread of the Goddess Urd. She and Keiichi….I can't begin to explain it, sisters. Just… look at the Tapestry!" They watched as the Tapestry became more vivid, every thread brightened with the merest contact with the merged threads of Keiichi and Urd. For the first time in their long existence, they looked forward to the future.


	6. Chapter 5-Destiny

_Disclaimer: I do not own AMG, or any of the characters native to the AMG universe. I only own the ones that I imported in my own little world I live in. Or around, or something….._

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter Five

Destiny

Buddhist Temple, Nekomi, Japan

Lind had seen a lot in her long life as a Valkyrie, some of it dazzled the mind and expanded the senses. Others, she just wanted to find a nice hole and bury herself as deeply in it as possible. This was definitely one of the latter moments. What greeted her, Belldandy, and Skuld when they made it to the back of the temple 30 minutes after Urd and Dia headed in was nothing more than a disaster in motion. Lind face-palmed and ground her teeth in frustration. How in the name of the Almighty could she go to heaven again and show her face after this humiliation?

Urd and Diademonica were both positively sloshed. The amount of alcohol that both of them consumed so far had to be fatal to small countries. Dinking like a fish was supposed to be an expression, not an actual achievement. Lind cracked her fingers apart and saw a familiar orange and white tabby as it looked on the pair in disapproval. She headed toward the familiar, both Belldandy and Skuld followed in her wake. She stood next to the familiar, and noticed that his ears were flattened, and his tail twitched in displeasure.

"I see that you aren't thrilled with this, either." She ground out to the familiar.

The cat cocked its head, and one of his unblinking yellow eyes settled on her. _No, I do not approve of a lot of Dia's 'extracurricular' activities. If she is to help you get back the one you lost, she must have her skills sharp and her wits about her._ His tail thumped the ground several times in frustration. _I have heard it said that humans have a rite of passage where they do some of the most stupid, idiotic things in existence, just so they can get a lot of those base urges and experimentations out of their system._

Belldandy nodded her head. "Yes, I believe they call it 'college'."

Cyrus growled. _Yes, that is what it is called. With Dia, her whole long life seems to be one college sorority party after another._

The familiar padded over to Belldandy, and rubbed against her leg. She reached down and picked him up, and held him in her arms. He still continued to stare at both Urd and Diademonica. _I would never tell her this, but I am actually rather fond of her. She has such potential, but she wastes her gifts on what amounts to the scraps of life._ He sighed. _Her mother chose me out of hundreds of potential candidates to try to steer her to something more worthwhile with her life. Obviously, I have failed, but no other familiar wants to bond with her anymore. It is regarded as a serious embarrassment to be threatened to be joined to her now._

Belldandy looked down at the orange and white tabby sadly. "So, for you, this is a punishment now, isn't it?"

Cyrus purred loudly as Belldandy scratched his ears. _Yes. I haven't told Dia this, but I was banished from Hell a couple of centuries ago for my failure._ He turned his head and gazed at Lind. _My apologies for having pinched so many of those bottles of Angel's Breath. You have no idea what it is like to be exiled from your home, without much of a chance to return back. I took to her example, and yes, it does affect me. I get myself sloshed to try and forget my troubles. Hey, it seems to work for Dia._

Lind grudgingly nodded toward the familiar. "I am sorry for losing my temper earlier, familiar. I am a great warrior, but not great at being diplomatic."

Cyrus snorted. _You aren't good at being diplomatic? Have you ever pissed off a demi-god by spitting into his wine just because you didn't care for his company? Have you ever shoved someone into the river Styx because he made a pass at you? I doubt you have caused as much trouble as my mistress has._

Belldandy continued to scratch the tabby's ears. "I think this will be a turning point, Cyrus. I have a feeling once this is over with, she will do something to make you proud of her." She felt a rumbling chuckle. "Do you disagree, Cyrus?"

_Belldandy, no matter how this ends, it will have been a pleasure to meet you._ He glanced at the happy drunks before them. _I doubt you will feel the same about us though. One recommendation? Once she passes out, go hide whatever remains of the sake stocks you might have in the temple or nothing will ever get done._

Dia was completely smashed into oblivion. She started drinking with Urd about 14 bottles ago, and had no idea what the time was, or what she was supposed to do, except drink another drink. Urd looked to be about to the point of passing out, and the stars that danced so lovingly at the edges of her vision said she was going too soon. What was she drinking to this time? Oh yeah, something about large pointy sticks, maybe? Her last thought was at least she outlasted Urd, as she passed out just before she did. Yeah! She w-

XXX

_13-year old Diademonica giggled as she held her father's hand. Myrlyn was taking time out of his busy schedule in the court of Camelot to show her a special cave out in the forest beyond the protective walls. She was not normally allowed out this far away from the fortress, at least not without someone along with her. Most of them were kind of jerks, but her Aunt Morgana wasn't so bad. She usually brought her out to the forest to teach her about nature, and about some of her abilities with magicka. Here she was again, in the forest for the second time this week! She couldn't believe her luck!_

_ "We are here, Dia." Myrlyn quiet rumbled._

_ Dia looked at the cave entrance and smiled brightly. An honest to goodness cave! She gets to explore it with her daddy? This just makes her so happy! She hugged her father's hand to her, and he looked down at her. "Ready to explore, little one?" Dia nodded in happiness._

_ Myrlyn lit the glass orb at the end of his staff, and led her past the entrance and into the cave. It wasn't a very large one, but it was enough that Dia felt like an explorer. She marveled at some of the small plants that grew within the cave, especially the stuff along the walls that glowed in response to her father's light. There were some strange things that crawled along the walls, and she wanted to touch one, but her father pulled her gently toward him. "No, Dia. Sometimes it is better to leave enough alone."_

_ All too soon, they reached the back of the cave. Dia was disappointed that it was just a rocky wall. There was no hidden treasure, no coins, nothing. The unhappiness must have shown on her face, because she heard the low rumble of a chuckle from her father. She looked up at him in puzzlement, and saw his smile. He got down on one knee, and his violet colored orbs peered into her own. "Dearest one, always remember, sometimes looks can be deceiving." Dia was puzzled as her father stood up again and faced the wall._

_ "Terra patefacio mihi"_

_ While the words sounded strange to young Dia's ears, the results were not. To her absolute shock and delight, the rock wall parted, and allowed her father and her through. Myrlyn gently tugged her, and she followed him into the last chamber of the cave. He whispered something to the orb light, and it brightened yet further. What sat upon the table before her positively made this trip worthwhile with her father. She clapped her hands in glee as he led her to the table._

_ Perched upon the table was a set of black and red armor, and a lethal looking black and red colored sword. She grinned brightly, since red and black were her favorite colors anyways. She looked up at Myrlyn. "Are these mine, daddy?"_

_ Myrlyn nodded to her. "These were the final gifts that your mother had made for you before she…before she had to go. When you come of age, we agreed that these would be made available to you."_

_ Dia marveled at them, and lightly reached forward and touched both the sword and the armor. She jerked back in surprise as she felt something akin to a jolt through her body. It almost felt like when her Aunt Morgana zapped her with a little lightning bolt when she was unruly. She looked up at her father. "Daddy, what…what was that?"_

_ Myrlyn smiled down in satisfaction at his daughter. "That, Dia, is the first stage of the binding. Both Apocalypse and Abyss have identified you as master. Once you have come of age, then the binding will be completed."_

_ Dia cocked her head, puzzlement on her face. "Daddy, I don't understand."_

_ Myrlyn laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "One day, Dia, you will. You are destined to do great things in the world. For Good, or for Ill, that is your destiny." He smiled. "I would prefer you to be good though, so I would be proud of you."_

_ Dia hugged her father. "I will do my best to make you proud of me, daddy!"_

_XXX_

_ The trip out of the cave wasn't as fascinating, and seemed to Dia to be so much faster than going in. As they approached the outskirts of the forest, her father slowed them to a halt. She looked up, and saw distress on her father's face, and he chewed his lip in concentration. She followed his gaze toward the Camelot fortress, and was surprised to see smoke rose from it. Her father squeezed her shoulder, and look of distress now upon his face._

_ "So, it has begun." He whispered quietly. He shook himself and looked down at Dia. "I need you to be a good girl, Dia."_

_ Diademonica was puzzled. "Daddy, wh-"_

_ "Morgana, dear sister, please, hear my call!"_

_ Dia was stunned when her aunt suddenly materialized in front of them. A worried look upon her face. "Mordred is out of control, brother. His forces have already begun to clash with Arthur's men."_

_ Myrlyn went ashen. "Dragon's fang!" he spat. "I knew this day would come, but not…there was no time for preparation!" The sorcerer shoved gently Dia to her aunt. "Take_ _Dia, grab the items from the cave made for her, and get yourselves out of here!"_

_ "Brother, but what-"_

_ "Daddy, I want to stay with you!"_

_ Myrlyn got down on one knee again. "Dia, now is not the time to argue! I must make sure you and your aunt are safe. If something happens to me, it is up to her to continue the work I began with you."_

_ Tears streamed down Dia's face. "Daddy, I-"_

_ Myrlyn drew her to him, and hugged her tightly. He released her into Morgana's arms and picked up his staff as he stood up. With one last nod at his sister and daughter, the sorcerer vanished in a whirlwind of leaves and twigs._

_ "Daddy!" Dia screamed in anguish._

_ Morgana hugged Dia tightly. "Alright, brother, if this is what you truly want, I will do as you requested." She looked down at Dia. "Come little one, we have much to do. You have a great destiny before you, and by Arthur's sword Excalibur, I swear to you that I will see it done!"_

XXX

_You have a great destiny before you._

Diademonica jerked awake, and absently wiped the tears that were on her face. She let out a breath and blinked. She saw Urd was still passed out, and noticed the huge collection of empty bottles strewn about. With vestiges of the dream still in her thoughts, she shook her head. Some of the last words spoken to her by her father. He believed in her so much. Had she lived up to the faith he had in her? She stood up and stretched, and then it dawned on her. She was up, and she was almost fully sober. How in the name of hell was that possible?

_Remember, Dia, this is a different reality. It is bound to affect you in ways that perhaps you do not realize yet._

She turned and gazed at the three Goddesses that waited on the temple back porch. Dia noticed that Belldandy held Cyrus in her arms, and scratched his ears absently. She nodded toward them, and smiled. "Thank you, Cyrus, I will try to remember that."

_Well, did you have fun with your debauchery? Can we get back to business again, or do we need to lock up the stock of sake?_

Dia absently wiped her face again. "Yeah, yeah I think I am ready to get to it. After all, we have someone who needs to be found."

_One day, father, I will find you again. On that, I swear._


	7. Chapter 6-Humbled

_Author's Note: I wished to again thank everyone again who are following my story and sending little nudges to me with criticisms and encouragement. As always, please feel free to continue reviewing and letting me know what everyone thinks._

_Disclaimer: I do not own AMG or any of the native characters to it. I own Diademonica, Cyruxinate, and Lady Hariasa, even though I haven't had her appear…yet._

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter Six

Humbled

Buddhist Temple, Nekomi, Japan

"Was there anything in particular that you remember when you came back into the temple? Any specific feelings or clues that were left behind?"

Belldandy nodded. "I felt dread as soon as I crossed the threshold, and it seemed like there were 'echoes' left behind from the struggles."

Dia tapped the side of her head, and chewed her lip. She was in full investigator mode, and she wasn't going to let anything escape her. Dia glanced at the slight traces of burn scars on the floor, and the couple along the ceiling. "It looks like you cleaned up most of the mess that was left behind." She frowned. "It would have been more helpful if it could have been left alone."

Belldandy wiped a tear away. "I know, if I had known at the time that we would have employed your services, I would have left it, but, well…"

Dia smiled in sympathy. "You didn't want to be reminded of the fact he was taken away from you so violently?"

Belldandy nodded, a few more tears trickled down her cheeks. "I'm, I'm sorry, I don't normally…"

"Belldandy?" She looked up at Dia. "Believe me, I know exactly what it feels to have someone you love ripped away from you."

Belldandy accepted a tissue offered from Dia, and she wiped her face once before she blew her nose. As she tossed the tissue into the trash, she looked at Diademonica. "Who did you lose?"

Dia sighed loudly. "Too many to name, Belldandy. The biggest ones were my father, Myrlyn, and my aunt, Morgana the Fair." She smiled bitterly. "My father was taken from me when I was 13, and my aunt when I was 18." She grimaced. "Of course, that was also when I met my mother. Let's just say the family reunion…didn't go too well."

Cyrus padded around Lind's legs, and she actually reached down and picked him up and held him. She imitated Belldandy, and scratched his ears. He purred in contentment and closed his eyes. _Understatement of the millennium. Rather a telling sign that the first time I met you, Dia, you were pissed to the max._

Lind looked inquisitively at Dia, then Cyrus as she continued to scratch his ears. "What do you mean, didn't go well?"

The investigator laughed harshly. "Let's just say, I had just completed the final binding with both Apocalypse and Abyss just a few moments before, and came back to the hut I shared with my aunt and found her dead. A strange woman with glowing gold-colored eyes stood over her body. I am sure I don't have to say too much further, as I am sure you can figure what happened."

Cyrus snorted. _Yeah, you yelled like a banshee and leaped at her. It was rather comical that she knocked you flat onto your ass with just a wave of her hand._

Dia glowered at the tabby. "Cyrus, shut it!"

Lind shook her head. "Mother issues, aside, is there anything that you can tell us about the problem at hand?"

Dia glared daggers once more at her familiar, then let the matter drop. Her eyes narrowed as she gazed upon the faint burn scars. She pointed toward them one at a time, and mimed a throwing motion each time. She chewed her lip in thought and walked around the area, her eyes flicked from location to location. She turned toward Belldandy, a look of puzzlement upon her face. "I am not 100% sure, but I don't think these were cast during a fight, I believe these were tossed after it was over."

Skuld crossed her arms. "What makes you think that?"

"I am not sure, Skuld. Maybe it is something else that I have picked up being here now in your reality." She dropped to one knee, and placed a hand upon one of the burn scars. At her touch, they soon saw phantoms of two people here in the temple. One was drug along the floor and left a blood trail, the other was hooded. Lazily, the phantom hurled small fireballs exactly to the locations of the scars. Dia's eyes widened in surprise, and jumped up.

"Did…did I do that?"

Lind, Belldandy, and Skuld gazed at her and nodded. Cyrus sighed. If he had been human, he would have rubbed his temples in irritation by now. _Dia, what did I tell you? Your powers and abilities will be different in this reality. Expect the unexpected here, you know. Ring a bell with you yet?_

Dia let the insult slide, and she held a big smile upon her lips. "Bitchin'!"

"What's all the commotion about?" A feminine voice asked almost painfully.

Everyone turned and saw Urd in the doorway, her hand on her head with a grimace. "Anyone have any aspirin or something I could take? My head is killing me!" She moaned lightly." She glanced at Diademonica, and grimaced at the grin she had. "How in the name of heaven can you not have a hangover? It's bad enough I lost to you, but…come on!"

Dia shrugged, and kept her grin. "Must be some of my new abilities from this reality, Urd." She winked at her new friend. "Don't worry, after this is all over with, we can go for a rematch, if you are interested."

Urd grimaced. "Uh, how about a no to that. I only want to face you on equal footing." She covered her eyes. "Can someone PLEASE get me something for this pounding head?"

Belldandy headed briefly to the kitchen, and came back with several pills and a cup of water. She handed them to her older sister, and watched as Urd downed the pills and the water in one gulp. As she waited for the pills to kick in, Urd glanced over at Lind, who held Cyrus and absently scratched his head and ears. She blinked. "How long was I out?"

Lind cocked her head, an eyebrow rose. "What do you mean?"

Urd pointed at Cyrus. "You are actually holding him, and scratching his ears! Didn't you want to dismember him earlier?"

Cyrus coughed. _Er, I think 'dismembered' is a bit strong, Urd. Perhaps hang me by my tail would have been more likely._

Lind gazed down at the tabby for just a moment before she returned to Urd. "Perhaps, but he has kind of grown on me."

"Yeah, kind of like a wart that you can't get rid of…" Dia muttered darkly.

_I heard that!_

XXX

Somewhere in Niflheim

Lady Hild tapped her foot with impatience. She had her hand on her hips, and if she were human, she would have been glaring at a watch. _So help me, if they don't move their asses, they will be turned into compost heaps!_ Even Fenris tapped his foot, one of the few outward signs he gave to his impatience. She grinned. _Maybe this would be a perfect time to-_

Cerberus and several of his assistances finally showed up, Keiichi's inert form stowed in a capsule. She glared at the group, and even Cerberus swallowed in fear. Without any warning, she pointed a finger toward one of the smaller demons in the group and shouted, "Transmutet in turturem!"

The demon gasped once before his body shrunk and changed into the ugliest box turtle in existence. It pulled itself into its shell, its beady eyes peeked from the darkness of the shell. Satisfied, Hild nodded toward the group. "Anyone else think it is a good idea to pick up the pace a little? I am game for other forms I could change someone into. How about a nice duck-billed platypus?"

Other than a bolt of lightning cast toward the rear, (or at least what Hild assumed was the rear. So hard to tell with some of her demons) her entourage made it to the portal marked for the upper world without raising more of her ire. She smirked. Amazing how the thought of being turned into something like that fugly turtle is good motivation. She could always change him back later, if she chose. Or cook him. Hell, some of the countries in the world above liked turtle soup…

With a quick hesitated glance toward the others, Fenris nodded once toward Lady Hild. "We are at your command, My Lady."

Hild clapped her hands once, and bounced on the balls of her feet. "Excellent! Stand ready, Fenris, I am only taking you with me to the surface."

Fenris blinked. "My…My Lady?"

Hild glared at him. "Did I stutter?"

"No, My Lady. As you wish, My Lady!"

Hild nodded. "Damn right I wish it!"

XXX

Buddhist Temple, Nekomi, Japan

The sky above the temple darkened, the clouds changed from a fluffy white into an angry, inky black. Sunlight faded rapidly, and lightning flashed across the sky from cloud to cloud. Dia and the others ran out onto the back porch of the temple, and gazed up toward the angry sky above them. Dia grabbed Apocalypse from the holder off the back of armor, and her lip curled in anticipation.

"Something wicked this way comes." She quoted quietly.

Without warning, the largest bolt of lightning they ever saw slashed through the sky, and slammed into the ground before them. Upon contact with the bolt, the ground exploded outward and upward before them. They were showered with assorted debris, and as the dust cleared, Lady Hild and Fenris stood in the center of the crater. Beside them, there lay a strange capsule that contained someone within. Belldandy stepped forward in hope. _Is that Keiichi in there?_

Lady Hild grinned broadly. "Hello, hi there! Long time no see! Did you miss me?" She gestured toward the capsule behind her and Fenris. "We found a lost, lonely kitten that needed to be returned to you!" She glanced over to her daughter, who gave her a nasty look. "Urdy! How is my little Urdy doing today?"

Dia lowered her head slightly, her violet colored eyes shifted to gold. The Goddesses watched as her hair shifted to metallic silver, and her body now had black distortions that danced along the edges of her frame. Her armor changed appearance, the demonic heavy plates of armor shifted until they covered her sensitive spots. She pointed Apocalypse toward the Daimakaicho, and marveled as it shifted and changed into a large, powerful two-handed claymore.

"That the one that took your man, Belldandy?"

"Hai, it is her."

Dia's lip curled. "Good."

Lady Hild cocked her head. She never saw this new one before, she seemed…demonic? That couldn't be though, all the demons here belonged to her! Not one of them turned traitor on her! She turned toward Fenris when he tugged at her sleeve. "My Lady, you might want to see this…"

Hild took the file from Fenris, and briefly glanced through it. Ah, so that was it, they went and got outside help. Oh that is rich! This is going to be fun! She handed the file back to Fenris. She gave the newcomer a wide toothy grin. "Welcome, Diademonica! I welcome any of my children from any of the other realms with open arms! Come to me, my child!"

Dia's grin turned feral. _Finally! A challenge worthy of the daughter of Myrlyn! Today father, I will make you proud of me!_

_Dia! No! _Cyrus warned her. _It is exactly what she wants you to do! Please, for once in your long life, please LISTEN TO ME!_

Diademonica ran faster than any of the Goddesses ever saw anyone run before. They watched as a spiked helmet formed around Dia's head, and she leaped high into the air, determined to bring Apocalypse down hard enough to cleave the Duchess of Hell into two pieces. Dia screamed a war cry as she swung Apocalypse down with everything she had.

She gasped in utter shock as Lady Hild hadn't moved an inch, but caught the edge of Apocalypse between her hands. She looked up into the bewildered face of Diademonica. "My, my. Such a temper you have, young one." She glanced briefly toward her daughter. "How you and my daughter are so alike! So impulsive! So quick to anger!" She closed her eyes and inhaled, then opened her eyes again. "So full of hate, too!"

Lady Hild plucked Apocalypse out of Dia's numbed hands, and grabbed her wrists with her other hand before she dropped to the ground. The Duchess of Hell smiled as she felt the inner core of the blade. "So, a forge from hell in your dimension crafted this weapon, eh? It is bonded to you, too? My, my. Perhaps we could learn a thing or two from your dimension. Maybe I should go visit there sometime, hmmmm?"

Dia growled as Hild flung Apocalypse away casually. She watched as it arced through the air, and slammed into the ground blade first. At least it appeared undamaged, which was the most important thing to her. She looked with hate at Hild. "What do you want from me?" She seethed as her helmet vanished, unbidden.

"Deary, I am much too strong for the likes of you, no matter what toys you may have at your disposal." She chewed her tongue as she looked the half-breed over, and then glanced down at Fenris and sized him up. Her face brightened, and she grinned broadly. "Why don't you fight Fenris? We will make this a contest, winner takes Keiichi!"

Just as she had with Apocalypse, Hild flung Diademonica through the air without any visible effort toward the temple. She crashed headfirst into the ground, and her hard landing brought up a cloud of dust several feet high. She lay there choking and wheezing, and tried her best to breath.

"How did the ground taste, my dear?" Hild called in a sing-song voice.

Dia's golden orbs flashed as she glared with intense hatred at Hild. She spat off to the side, and wiped her mouth. She wasn't surprised that there was a speckle of blood. She stuck her open hand out. Apocalypse yanked itself out of the ground, and flew toward her open hand which closed around the hilt.

She stood up, and spat toward the Duchess of Hell before she wiped her mouth again with her other hand.

"Needs salt."


	8. Chapter 7-Transformations

_Disclaimer: I don't own AMG or any of the characters associated with it. All I own are my own creations, etc. etc._

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter Seven

Transformations

Buddhist Temple, Nekomi, Japan

Belldandy led the Goddesses over to Diademonica. After that throw, she had to see if her new friend was alright. Dia's head turned toward them as they came up. Dia shook her head in frustration and glanced at Belldandy. "Damn, I wanted a challenge, but even Hild is too much for me." She snorted. "Wow. Only took coming to a new reality for that to happen." Dia now glanced at Urd. "No offense, my friend, but your mother is a real bitch."

Urd shrugged as she gazed toward Lady Hild. "She definitely…has her moments."

Cyrus chuckled. _Wow, now you're calling someone else's mother a bitch. Still feeling some resentment toward your own, my dear?_

"Not now, Cyrus." Dia grumbled. She glanced toward Belldandy. "Well, how should we play this, Belldandy?"

Belldandy's eyes never left the capsule. "I must have my Keiichi back." She turned slightly, and her haunted blue eyes held Dia's golden ones. "Please, I will do anything you ask, just rescue Keiichi!"

Diademonica held her eyes. "He really means that much to you, doesn't he?" She quietly whispered to her friend.

"Hai."

Dia felt another hand that gently placed itself upon her shoulder, and she turned toward Urd. She held a faint smile upon her lips. "He means a lot to all of us, Dia." She smiled weakly. "Even if I can't get him to make it to second base with Belldandy, we still want him back. It wouldn't be the same without him."

Dia blinked. She gave Belldandy a once-over, then shook her head with a small smile upon her lips. "Can't make it to second base, huh? What is he, stupid?"

Urd laughed lightly. "No, just timid. He is a distinct gentleman."

The investigator shook her head. "Damn. A gentleman. Didn't think there were too many of them out there anymore." She glanced briefly at the Goddesses, and saw all of them gave her imploring looks. She shook her head and sighed loudly. "Fuck it, why not." Her eyes bored into Hild's. "If beating her toadie will piss her off, I will consider it a definite win in my book."

XXX

Lady Hild clapped her hands once, and then clapped Fenris on the shoulders. "My dear Fenris, I want you to lose this fight. 'kay?"

Fenris blinked in surprise. "My…My Lady? You want me to…lose the fight?" He whispered. "Why? I can take her, I know I-"

Hild huffed and got in Fenris' face. Her grin sent shivers down his spine, and caused him to gulp. "I want you to lose, Fenris. For my plan to succeed, they must have Keiichi back. If I back out of the fight, or you win, I will be embarrassed, and my plans will be wrecked. Do you know what happens to my underlings that embarrass me or wreck my plans?" She asked dangerously.

Fenris gulped again. "They…they are banished, My Lady?" He asked hopefully.

Hild tsked. "Only if they are worthy…Have you noticed the piles of ash strewn about my domain? Do you think they are there for decoration? Hmmmm?"

Sweat collected upon his forehead. "No, no My Lady. I will do as you request."

Hild smiled and patted him on the head. "Good boy. I do want you to at least put up a good fight. Oh, and Fenris?" He looked up at her, fear in his eyes. "That was not a request I made, that was a command. Don't forget that, underling."

Fenris nodded and wiped his forehead. He released a breath that he hadn't realized he held. He then shivered as he realized just how close he brushed with becoming an ash heap. He shook himself lightly, and stepped away from the crater toward the center of the backyard of the temple grounds. He glanced back at Hild again, who smiled and gave him a jaunty wave. He nodded, turned to face his quarry. He grinned. "Well, Diademonica, are you ready for this?"

Dia inhaled and exhaled a couple of times. With a feral snarl, she willed Apocalypse to transform, and it reconfigured itself into its katana form. Abyss shifted as well, the heavier plates made way for lighter ones, which gave her more flexibility and movement for combat. Brute force wasn't going to win this one, it was going to take finesse and skill to take this one down. Once again, the edges of her body were wrapped in a black distortion. The half-breed was as ready for this fight as she ever would be.

"Ready when you are, red shirt!"

Fenris cocked his head in puzzlement, and glanced down at his clothing. "Red shirt? I am not wearing a red shirt!"

Dia sighed. "Never mind, toadie. Let's get his over with. There is a bottle of sake that is calling my name, and I mean to answer the call."

Dia ran toward Fenris, her blade held in a guard position that could be swung up quickly to block anything thrown by her opponent. Much to her annoyance and frustration, once she closed to within eight feet of her target, he leaped into the air, and continued up until he hovered about fifteen feet above her. Dia snarled as she halted quickly, she stabbed a finger toward her opponent. "Get your ass down here, toadie. I will make this quick!"

Fenris laughed mockingly. "Oh, come on, Diademonica, did you really think I would crumble at the mere sight of you in your fully powered up demonic state? I have fought creatures in the pits that are more dangerous then you are!"

"Damn it!" Dia thundered angrily. "How in the name of hell do you expect us to fight if you keep doing this shit?"

"Your reputation and appearance may get you respect and fear in your reality, Diademonica. Here, you are just another demon upstart that must be taught her place in the pit. You will not beat me, Diademonica until you think with your head, not your sword!"

Dia gazed up at the demon with pure loathing, her hand that held Apocalypse shook in her anger. What the hell else could she do? All she ever knew to use was her demonic powers bequeathed to her from her mother. Her father and aunt were torn away from her before she could learn too much of the magicka arts from them. What else could she possibly do?

_By the Nine Pits! Dia, remember who you are! You are not just the daughter of Lady Hariasa, you are also the daughter of Myrlyn! Don't just rely on your demonic powers, you must tap into your magicka abilities too!_

Dia felt despair. _How, Cyrus? How do I tap into it? I was never train-_

_Your will, Dia! Use your strength of will, and the rest will attend to itself!_

Dia snorted. _My will, huh?_ She gazed up at the smirking demon above her. _Well, I 'will' the fact that I would really like to be able to fly and catch him. I don't know, grow wings or some-_

Diademonica arched her back as pain wracked her body. She screamed as the pain intensified, and she doubled over. The pain brought tears to her eyes, and she just wished for it to end. She duly felt her armor as it shifted and changed while something tore from her back, and folded over her body. Finally, the pain receded, and she caught her breath as she blinked away the tears. "That…fucking…..HURT!" She yelled toward the heavens.

She backed up a step, and looked up at Fenris, and saw both shock and fear in his eyes. Puzzled, Dia then glanced toward Hild, and saw her that the Duchess of Hell chewed her lip, her brows furrowed together. Still confused, she turned slightly toward the Goddesses and shrugged. They pointed to something above her head, and she glanced up, and blinked in surprise.

Wings. She now had wings that could be used to carry her up into the sky. She unfolded them, and marveled at both their beauty and elegance. They didn't have the hard edges or spikes that were normally associated with the demonic transformations she did, they appeared…soft. They had to be a good fifteen feet across from feathered tip to feathered tip. They were gray in color, probably something to do with her dual nature. She tested them, and gave them a few flaps. Almost as if pure instinct, or if she was born with them, she knew how to use them already. She grinned like a kid with a new toy. This was great! What else could she do?

_Dia!_ She turned, and was shocked to find that Cyrus no longer had his orange and white tabby look. He now appeared as a black and white cat, with a rune that glowed on the top of his head. _Your demonic weapon will not work against him! You must use your will to change it, too._

She pointed toward Cyrus. "Cyrus? But…but ho-"

_Remember, Dia, different reality, different abilities! Think of what you did to give yourself the power of flight, and do something similar with Apocalypse!_

Dia blinked. Thanks to her father, magic was in her blood. What could she do to alter Apocalypse though? She thought for just a moment, and smiled at a memory from growing up in Camelot. _Excalibur! Excalibur was the ultimate magical blade! Nothing forged by man or demon was reputed to beat it! Could I really somehow…use it with Apocalypse?_

With her open left hand, she willed into existence the very essence of the magical blade Excalibur. Much to her surprise, it appeared before her in a transparent state. It floated above her left her hand, as if it waited for something. Apocalypse left her right hand when she opened it, and watched as it turned transparent, too. Both transparent blades came together and merged within a bright light.

Once her vision cleared, Dia stood rooted to the spot in awe. Both blades were now fused together, and became one single weapon. As she gripped it with her right hand, she felt the combined powers of her newly created blade. She smiled as it instantly re-bonded to her without a hitch. She leaned her head against the blade, and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she grinned in new recognition of her sword. "Welcome to the party, Ragnarok." Dia said affectionately.

Lady Hild's eyes widened in surprise. _Perhaps there is more to this one then I thought. Must get her out of here soon and back to her own reality. If not, she may destroy everything I have planned._

Fenris looked down at Diademonica in muted horror. _By Lady Hild! What pit have I dug myself into?_

Dia gazed up at Fenris, not unlike a predator to its prey. She saw Fenris gulp. She tightened her grip on her newly 'reforged' blade. "I believe someone was earlier spouting off something about me not using my head. Well, here are the results of doing so. I do so hope that you positively ENJOY the results, red shirt!"

Fenris drew his blade just as Diademonica left the ground. She hurled herself up toward him faster than he expected. His eyes widened with shock as he just managed to block her first sword lunge, but failed to block her armored foot as it thrust out, and slammed into his chest with crushing force. He had mere moments to reflect if he had been mortal, he would be dead.

Fenris flew thirty feet higher into the air, and the pain from her kick took his breath away. He closed his eyes for just a moment, and when he opened them again, he saw the wrathful Dia as she closed the distance rapidly with him. He had to somehow get away from her! If he didn't, he was as good as dead. He saw the look of murder in her eyes, as she closed, and he wanted to live to serve Lady Hild another day.

"I bow to your superior skills, Diademonica. I surrender!"

Dia stopped in mid-swing. Did she just hear him right? He wanted to 'surrender' to her? She flapped her wings a few times, and appeared at the same eye level with him. "Why should I let you surrender, toadie?" She growled menacingly. "You openly mocked me, you grabbed a man and took him away from the woman he loved, and you have the balls to plead with me to spare your miserable life?"

Fenris gulped and nodded as he made a grand attempt at salvaging what remained of his pride. Last thing he wanted to do was start blubbering like some imp. He placed his sword away, and placed his hands up in what he hoped was a non-threatening manner. Sweat trickled down his back, and began to bead on his forehead. To his immense relief, she growled, and lowered Ragnarok. He floated a few feet away from her, and wiped his forehead. "You won't regret this, Diademonica."

"You will though, you simpering coward!"

Both Dia and Fenris blinked and looked down at Lady Hild. Dia wasn't always the best judge of character, but the anger lines and red eyes of the Duchess of Hell told her that Hild was furious! Dia glanced over at Fenris, and saw him gulp, and go white. She glanced again between the two, and decided to fly away a few more feet, just to give him what she hoped was a safe distance…

"What kind of demon are you?! I gave you a simple command you simpering fool, and you couldn't follow it!" Hild thundered. "I have no use for cowards who fold at the first sign of a strong opponent!"

"Lady Hild, please, My Lady, I beg you-"

A bolt of black lightning lashed from Hild's outstretched finger, and when it slammed into Fenris, he exploded into a cloud of misty gore and chunks of flesh. Dia wiped a few pieces of Fenris that found themselves on her face, and looked down at Lady Hild. She couldn't believe the power that she had at her command! She gulped as she realized that could have been her earlier. She always wanted a challenge, but suicide was definitely out of the equation. Even with her newfound powers, if Hild decided to take that 'Keiichi' back with her, there was no way they could stop her.


	9. Chapter 8-Sisters

_Author's Note: This has been a wild ride so far, right? As always, I wish to thank the reviews, follows, suggestions, and criticisms that my peers have made so far. I know that it has been interesting to have some of my own characters play in the sandbox of another. However, I am going to dial things down a bit more with Dia, since this is an Ah!/Oh! My Goddess fanfic, not one from one of my own works. After all, it is the story that pushes things along, not just the characters. Once the weekdays are here again, the updates will be a bit slower. Oh, and for anyone that plays DC Universe Online with the PS3, Diademonica is alive and kicking in there somewhere, too. ;)_

_Disclaimer: Old hat by now, but you know…. I don't own AMG or any of the characters native to that universe. I only own the ones that play in mine. ;)_

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter Eight

Sisters

Buddhist Temple, Nekomi, Japan

The Duchess of Hell positively shook with fury. All Hild wanted Fenris to do was put on a good show, be defeated, and then hand over the boy to them. The stupid fool had to go and piss her off, so she dealt with it in her own way. She clenched her hands, and her knuckles cracked loud enough to cause everyone at the temple to cringe. She huffed. Well, that was the greatest thing about underlings, they were plenty replaceable. She smirked. _Well, time to give them my little 'gift'._ Her eyes drifted to Diademonica. _Well played, Belldandy. Now that I know about the little 'abomination', I will have to keep an eye on her, while she is here._

Belldandy watched Lady Hild with trepidation. While technically their new friend did win her battle with Hild's champion, she vaporized him. It was possible that it could go any direction now, and even though it was rare, Hild might break her word. She decided it was worth the risk, and ran out into the backyard just as Dia fluttered gently down and landed beside her. Dia folded her wings behind her, and readied Ragnarok. "How did you want to do this, Belldandy?" Dia whispered out of the side of her mouth.

Belldandy placed her hand on Dia's arm. "No, let me. You have done enough for now, thank you for the help."

Diademonica nodded once, and without her eyes leaving Hild, gently placed Ragnarok onto the holder on the back of armor. As it clicked into place, she felt numerous cracks that spider-webbed the back of her armor. An unpleasant realization finally dawned on her. _That was why it hurt so damn much when my wings came forth, the bloody things…_

"Son of a Bitch!" Dia yelled in angry frustration. She flushed with embarrassment as everyone turned and stared at her for the unexpected outburst. She face-palmed. "I think I will just go find a nice hole to crawl into and cover myself up. Thanks for playing, have a great day."

Belldandy followed Hild's eyes as they tracked Dia's movement back toward the temple. Now she understood why her new friends was so angry, as she now saw all the cracks and two large holes in the back of her armor. Apparently, in her haste to give herself the ability to fly, her armor took the brunt of her transformation. The wings had to go someplace, after all…

Belldandy risked a quick look at Hild, and saw her quaking with amusement as she fought the urge to burst out laughing at Dia's predicament. There was bound to be more articles of clothing damaged from the transformation. Probably would be helpful to point that out to her. "Um, Dia, about your armor…"

"I don't want to talk about it, Belldandy." She said in an embarrassed voice. "I already know what I did, and I don't need anyone else to point it out to me." She sighed loudly as she passed the other Goddesses on her way inside. "Shut up, Hild. I can hear your thoughts all the way over here."

She couldn't take it anymore. Hild erupted in genuine amusement, her hands placed upon her sides as tears rolled down her cheeks. This was priceless! It was worth the loss of Fenris both to have her plans set into motion, and have enjoyment at the upstart's expense. She hiccupped and fought for air when she heard a loud thump from inside the temple, and an even louder exclamation of, "OUCH! DAMN IT! WHY WON'T THESE THINGS GO BACK IN?"

"Stop…it, just stop!" Hild gasped for breath again. "I just…can't take this anymore." She gestured briefly to the capsule. "He…is all yours. Take him." With one final fit of giggles, Hild stepped back into a whirlwind and vanished back to her realm.

Belldandy ran to the abandoned capsule, and looked into it with more than a few ounces of worry. After all, they took Hild at her word that it contained Keiichi, it very well could have been someone, or something, else. Much to her relief, however, Keiichi was indeed inside there. Quickly, she popped the locks, and pulled Keiichi to her. She hugged his unconscious body for a few moments, her body shook with her pent-up sobs. She still held his shoulders, but pulled back a little to give him a quick look-over.

Visibly, Keiichi didn't appear in too bad of shape. There were a few small cuts and bruises, but nothing that required any serious healing. She cast a spell that lifted him from the capsule, and enabled her to carry him toward the temple. She felt great relief at having him back, yet, in the back of her mind, something troubled her. It was indeed Keiichi, but something felt…different, about him. His aura appeared slightly different to her now, but she shrugged. Perhaps it was because of what he went through with Hild.

As Belldandy neared the temple, Urd, Lind, Skuld, and Cyrus ran to meet her. She was all smiles when they approached, but stopped when they heard some crashes inside the temple. All of them turned and looked at the temple, eyebrows arched in curiosity. Something else crashed inside the temple. "SON OF A BITCH! WHY CAN'T I CATCH A BREAK!?" Something fragile shattered. "DAMN IT!" They heard Dia exclaim rather loudly with disgusted frustration.

Lind rolled her eyes, sighed loudly, and face-palmed. "Great. I better get in there before she wrecks the place. She had been doing so well today, too." She headed up the stairs, and stood in the threshold with widened eyes. Her head drooped, and she sighed again in defeat. "Or, at least doesn't wreck it any worse than she already has." She turned to the others. "Might want to mind where you step, things are a bit of a mess in here…"

XXX

Belldandy gently finished tucking Keiichi into his futon. After everything that he probably went through with Hild, it was bound to be a joy for him to wake up in the temple, and inside his own room. She bent forward and kissed him on his forehead, and noticed that he felt warmer then he usually did. She placed her hand on his forehead, sure enough, he was warmer than normal. She saw his eyebrows crease slightly, but nothing else. Well, she would get dinner together, and check on him again in a bit. She kissed him once lightly on the lips, and then left the room.

Keiichi moaned lightly, his eyes moved under his lids. His covers moved, as if something below them tried to push them off. After several attempts, the covers flew up, and off Keiichi's chest. Corruption breathed hard for a moment. _Oy! Why the hell did that Goddess have to insist on covering us up? I made him warm enough it wasn't needed!_ With a huff, and roll of her eyes, she looked down at her sleeping half mortal a smile upon her lips. _Well, Keiichi, we are out of that capsule, time for me to get to work!_

XXX

"Thanks a lot for the help, Urd. This whole day has been nothing but one big embarrassment after another since the battle with Hild's toadie."

Urd waved the comment off while she finished securely tying Dia's new wings to her body. "After what happened today, this is a nice change, believe me." She grinned. "Besides, it was rather amusing to have someone else causing destruction around here that isn't because Skuld and I are fighting."

Dia made a face. "Glad that my misery has been able to amuse you." She sighed. "Damn Cyrus, anyways. I think he had me do this on purpose to frustrate me."

Urd fixed her with an incredulous expression. "Uh huh. I am sure that he wanted to bring great misery down upon you by helping you expand your abilities to help. That sounds especially monstrous of him."

"Your sarcasm definitely is thick today, Urd. Is this the way you treat a sister?"

Urd stopped, and smiled at Dia. "A sister, huh?" She thought about it for a moment. "Actually, yes."

Dia rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Glad that it is over though. With Keiichi back safely now with Belldandy, my work here is complete."

Urd stopped. "Um, Dia, do you have to go back home so soon?"

Dia blinked in surprise. "Well…" She scratched her head in thought. "No, not really. I just didn't want to wear out my welcome here, is all." She grinned. "Besides, I figured you wanted to see him hurry up and get to second base with Belldandy." She winked.

Urd giggled. "I think it would take an act of heaven to Keiichi to get that far. I mean, he has only kissed Belldandy a couple of times." She sighed and shook her head. "He can be so hesitant. Belldandy is my sister, but I keep wanting to tell her to grab him, and plant one hard enough on him that his toes curl!"

Dia crossed her arms over her breasts, a look of mirth within her violet eyes. "What about you? You ever felt the urge to just grab him and plant one on him? I imagine the two of you would make for quite an interesting combination of ingredients."

Urd's smile vanished, and she looked away. She didn't want Dia to see the flush that came to her cheeks. Dia uncrossed her arms, and her brows furrowed in thought as she scratched the back of her head. The sudden silence made her uneasy. "Aw, shit, Urd. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say…Ah, fuck it. Forget I said anything. I am not good at intelligent conversation. Only thing I ever spoke well with was my sword."

"He is a great guy, and he and Belldandy deserve to make each other happy." Urd said quietly. "I wouldn't do anything to get in the way of the happiness of those two."

Dia sighed. "Urd, I wasn't trying to imply anything, I just thought…never mind, I am just talking out my ass again." Her eyes lit up in thought. "How about we celebrate that we aren't dead with some sake? What do you say? Are you up to it?"

Urd smiled and nodded. "Sounds like a great idea, Dia." She smirked. "Think you can get to the living room without wrecking anything else?"

Dia huffed and rolled her eyes. "Unless you are hinting to me that you can't tie something worth shit, I don't think we have to worry about anything."

Urd nodded. "Well, I am not going to try to match ya drink for drink, but I am definitely ready for some sake."

Dia laughed. "Yeah, I know. Nah, since we aren't having a rematch of the drinking contest, I plan to just sit, drink, bullshit, and enjoy good company with a sister."

XXX

"You are kidding me!" Urd stated after she poured herself another cup of sake. "Actually jumped at her and tried to attack her with your sword? Your own mother?" She asked incredulously.

Diademonica chuckled. "Now come on! How the hell was I supposed to know who she was? The only woman that I knew that helped raise me was my aunt! When I first saw her in her full appearance, I thought she was the one that had murdered her!"

Urd nodded once, she could definitely understand that one. She probably would have jumped to the same conclusion herself, in her shoes. She took a small sip. "So what exactly happened? Cyrus said something earlier about being knocked on your ass, but I thought he just meant knocked aside."

Dia laughed. "Nah, the hairball was spot on with that. She chanted a spell that was basically a repulsion field. As soon as I contacted it with Apocalypse, it was like when you put two magnets together with the same poles together. The results were immediate, spectacular, and quite painful."

Urd laughed heartily, and grabbed a napkin to wipe some of her spilled sake. "What happened?"

Dia grimaced. "Well, I will put it this way. With my undesired attempt at flight, my landing led to the undesired result of turning my aunt's favorite bookcase from one solid piece of construction into several dozen pieces." She winced. "I swear all these centuries later I still have some wood splinters still in my ass from it, too"

"What happened once you got up?"

Dia shook her head. "The woman gave me her hand, and helped me up from the wreckage of the ruined bookcase. I thought about attacking her again, but then wisely decided against trying it. I watched as her eyes gazed at me, and softened a little. There was a faint trace of a smile upon her lips, and she said my name with pride."

Urd grinned. "What did you do when she told you that she was your mother?"

Dia flushed with embarrassment and scratched the back of her head. "I, uh, I fainted."


	10. Chapter 9-Calm

_Disclaimer: I do not own AMG, or any of their characters native to their universe. I only own the ones native to mine._

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter Nine

Calm

Buddhist Temple, Nekomi, Japan

"Fainted? You?!" Urd laughed heartily. "You are bullshitting me!"

Dia blushed. "I, uh, wish I was. It was rather embarrassing, really."

_Actually it was pretty damn hilarious!_ Cyrus jumped up onto the table, and began to wash a paw. _It was funny enough seeing her try flight without wings, but as soon as Lady Hariasa said for her to call her 'mom', she dropped like a ton of bricks._

Dia glared at the black and white cat, but then grinned mischievously. She took another sip of her sake. "So, Cyrus, have you seen yourself lately? What's with the tuxedo? Have a hot date?"

Cyrus stopped washing his paw, and starred at his mistress. _What are you blathering about, Dia?_ She pointed toward a mirror, and he padded over to it. As soon as he saw his reflection, his tail went bottlebrush, his hair stood on end, and he hissed loudly. After a few angry seconds, his eyes widened. _Oh, shit. That's me._

"Yeah, fleabag, that's you all right. It makes me feel happier knowing I am not the only one that can't seem to take back changes in this reality." She grinned evilly.

Cyrus sighed and went back to bathing. _Well, Dia, at least my transformation didn't reduce the interior of this beautiful temple into a broken china and glass shop. Oh, you might want to be careful if you get a room here for the night, there are still several things that you haven't broken just yet._ _Though I am pretty sure if you try hard enough, you could probably take care of that in a spectacular fashion, too._ He quit bathing and shook his head. _Well, I'm off for a nap in the sunbeam. Later._

Dia seethed as she watched her familiar pad out of the room, then hung her head. "How the hell does he still get the last word in? I thought a woman was supposed to get the last word!"

Urd patted her friend on the arm, her lips quivered as she fought the urge to laugh. "Um, Dia, that is only when we have an argument with a man. I, uh, don't think familiars count as a man."

Dia growled as she closed her eyes. "Damn fleabag!"

XXX

Belldandy stood humming in the kitchen as she cut vegetables and worked on cooking dinner. She smiled at the bouts of laughter from the living room. In the short time that Diademonica had been with them, she watched both her and Urd become fast friends. Despite the other woman's course language, penchant for drinking, and affinity for destroying breakable objects, she was great to have around. Of course, she wasn't sure what Keiichi would say to having another powerful woman in the house, but she imagined he wouldn't mind. _I have him back, that is all that matters!_

Belldandy felt something brush around her legs, and chuckled. She reached down, and gave a quick scratch to the top of Cyrus' head. "Hello, little friend. What brings you in here?"

Cyrus looked here and there, and saw an open spot near the sink that shouldn't cause a problem. He leaned back on his haunches, and leaped up onto the counter. He turned around a couple of times, and lay down. He folded his paws under himself, and watched Belldandy while she worked. _Just thought I would drop by and see how you were doing, Belldandy. Your aura is much brighter compared to when we first met. Having your Keiichi back has definitely made you happier._

The Goddess put down the carrot she chopped, and wiped her hand on a towel. She reached over and scratched his ears. "Having him back safe has made all the world to me, Cyrus. I love him more than life itself. I would do anything for him."

The black and white cat purred loudly, the sink basin vibrated in sync with his purr. _Ah, no one knows how to scratch my ears like you do, Belldandy._ He coughed once. _Though, your friend Lind isn't too bad in a pinch, either._ He pulled his head back as her fingers found themselves under his chin. _Oh, yeah! That's the spot!_ He opened his eyes, and gazed at her again. _Yet, I still see traces of worry. Something is not quite right with him though, am I right?_

Belldandy chewed her lip and sighed. "He is a little off, Cyrus. He felt rather warm, and his color wasn't quite right. I don't know what Hild did to him, but it affected him greatly." She quit scratching Cyrus, and went back to finish chopping her carrots.

_Tell you what, Belldandy. After I get my nap in the sunbeam, and dinner is done, I will go in with you and we can check out Keiichi together, deal?_

Belldandy wiped a tear away. "Deal. Thank you, Cyrus."

Cyrus nodded once, and jumped off the counter. Before he padded out the door, he turned to her. _You don't have to thank me, Belldandy. Both your hospitability, and your ability to put up with Dia are all the thanks I need._

Belldandy nodded as she wiped away another tear. It was good to have friends.

XXX

Lind sat out on the porch in the back of the temple. Her eyes glanced over the damage done to the back yard from Diademonica's fights with both Hild and Fenris. She shook her head. _Fenris, why oh why did you leave heaven? Was it because you found the thought of evil so alluring? Did you truly turn away from what made you one of heavens brightest?_ She sighed loudly as she ran her hand through her hair.

_Why so somber, noble warrior? I thought you would be happy how things turned out today. After all, no one is dead._

Lind watched the black and white cat pad over to her, and lay down beside her in the bright sunlight. She gave a half-smile as she started stroking him. "Hello you evil thing." She started playfully. "You know, you don't behave like I expected a demon familiar to be like." She lightly scratched his belly. "You are more cat then imp anymore, I think."

Cyrus purred loudly. _Spend almost nine centuries in the company of Diademonica, and see what that does for you._ He chuckled. _I haven't been out of this feline form in so long, I don't even remember what I looked like for real anymore._ He shifted slightly, his eyes closed in enjoyment of Lind's administrations. _I am not an imp though, milady. I am a familiar, there is a BIG difference between us. However, even in our reality, demon familiars are…frowned upon. People don't realize that all we do is offer advice and guidance to those we are bonded to. The ones that do all those horrible deeds we inevitably get blamed for are the true imps. Hateful little shits, they are._

Lind blinked in surprise. "I didn't realize there was a difference. I thought familiars were imps."

Cyrus snorted. _Yeah, we got a bad rap, thanks to them. I don't worry as much about it anymore. So long as I find caring people that will actually listen, I try to educate._

Lind smiled, and eyebrow arched in curiosity. "Why do you and Diademonica squabble and verbally spar so often? I would have thought you two would get along better then you do."

Cyrus rumbled a laugh. _That is just how she is. I will be the first to say that her growing up wasn't the easiest experience. She never knew her mother until she was 18, and lost both her father and beloved aunt before that. Her mother, well, she can be a tad…difficult, to deal with. Think someone like your Hild of this reality, just…pushier. She ruined more than one of my mistress' love affairs._

Lind blinked. "She…ruined? Did she zap them or something?"

Cyrus snorted, then rumbled another laugh. _Well, sometimes. More often than not, Dia would be, uh, shall we say really occupied, and her mother would just suddenly drop in for a visit._

Lind face-palmed. "Don't tell me…"

Cyrus thumped his tail once. _Let's just say the appearance of a pissed-off Shadow Stalker is more than enough for most men to take to the road in fear. When many of her suitors found out what Dia really was, and whom her mother was, it isn't unusual for them to suddenly vanish and never call upon her ever again._

Lind grimaced. "That sucks. So she has problems with relationships in general then, I take it?"

Cyrus snorted. _Yeah, no shit. I wasn't surprised that she sized you up first thing when we arrived. She figured you would be a threat."_

The Valkyrie blinked. "I was a threat? Why?"

_She will never admit it, but Dia has always felt 'dirty' because she is half demon. She often feels threatened when faced with something so pure. Of course, for a long time, she thought that she had to do evil deeds. The long mentorship under her mother after she turned 18 didn't help her feel any better about herself, either._

Lind stopped petting the familiar, and gazed into his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Cyrus grunted. _Lady Hariasa taught her very early how to unlock her demonic powers, and how to use them to achieve her own ends. From what I was led to understand, she was supposed to fully mentor her in both the demonic and magical arts. She chose to ignore the 'good' magic half, and just concentrated on the demonic. So Dia is incredibly unbalanced in her abilities and powers. She is incredibly powerful, and has the capability to be even more so, but she has to master her magical talents. There are precious few in our reality that can help her with that._ He sighed. _Maybe we can eventually find her father somewhere in the void. If he can be found, perhaps he could help her unlock her true powers._

Lind's brows furrowed in thought. "Wouldn't that be dangerous?"

Cyrus chuckled. _No more so than relying completely upon only half of her strengths. Right now, she is a maelstrom of chaotic energies, Lind. Balance must be maintained, or else she will fall apart again._

The Valkyrie's eyes widened. "Again? You mean she fell apart before?"

Cyrus blinked at Lind, and sighed. _Yes. _

XXX

Aurora, Colorado U.S.A.

Lady Hariasa frowned at the closed door. Dia's apartment was unusually quiet, so she had to hear that she was there. She had knocked three times, the agreed upon signal that she was there. Yet, her daughter never gave her the okay to come in this time. Was she somehow pissed at her yet again? She hadn't talked to Dia in a few weeks, so she couldn't have angered her already. She snorted. _Fine, Dia, you want to play that game, then I will just come straight on in._ She grinned. _Besides, you have to try Jacque's new mixed drink! It is just to die for!_

The Shadow Stalker phased through the door, and paused just a few steps inside. Her brows furrowed, and she chewed her lip. She didn't sense Diademonica's aura anywhere nearby. She noticed the sound of something beeping, and saw Dia's wall phone was off the hook and on the floor. Quickly, she headed over to the phone, and placed it back upon the cradle. Yes, she had used this not too much longer before. Her eyes drifted over Dia's combination apartment/office, and noticed that her customized hand gun was still on its typical resting place upon the wall. She rarely ever left without taking Last Rites with her, so whatever happened was something serious, and it occurred quickly.

"Cyruxinate, are you here?" Lady Hariasa inquired of the empty apartment.

Silence. His aura was missing, too. Whatever required them to leave was abrupt. She opened her sight to the ether, and noticed that Apocalypse was gone. Hmmm, that meant she had indeed taken at least a weapon with her. She was most puzzled. Her daughter wasn't the best with teleportation spells, so she doubted she left that way. The Shadow Stalker did feel some kind of powerful magic effects in the air, and followed its trail.

Lady Hariasa blinked. The trail led to the mirror beside Dia's wall phone. Had she received a call, was distracted, and someone grabbed her through the mirror? She willed Vengeance into her hand, and felt the ancient blade's thrum of power. Something took her daughter, and she take her back. She placed a hand upon the mirror, and recoiled in shock. _Goddess!_ She blinked in surprise. _A Goddess grabbed my daughter? Why?_ _Did they hope to somehow get to her through her daughter?_

The Shadow Stalker gazed with hatred upon the mirror. _Fine, Goddesses. You want to declare war on me, a war you will have!_ She sneered in contempt. _A mirror though, how quaint. I will follow your trail, Goddess, and I will make sure that I strike you down with fear in your eyes, and my name upon your lips!_

Lady Hariasa placed her hand on the mirror, and after a rapidly spoken spell, she became pure light, and merged into the mirror.


	11. Chapter 10-Fury

_Disclaimer: I don't own AMG or any of the native characters to that universe. I only own Dia, Cyrus, and Lady Hariasa, who started playing in my universe quite a while ago…._

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter Ten

Fury

Somewhere in Niflheim

Lady Hild waited impatiently as she sat upon her throne. She sighed melodramatically while she drummed her long fingernails along the armrest. That was the whole problem with her current plans, while it was a fabulous idea, it was taking too damn long to be implemented! She crossed a leg over her knee and bobbed her foot up and down a few times. Waiting wouldn't be so bad if it didn't take so long! Maybe something would come up that would get her mind off the infernal waiting…

"My Lady, My Lady! You must see this!"

Hild rolled her eyes, and turned toward the new underling that ran puffing and panting toward her. She gazed at him for a few seconds, just long enough for him to gulp in deserved fear. Good, it was as it should be. What good was being the ruler of demonkind if you couldn't inspire fear in your underlings! She grinned and clapped her hands once. "Ah! Is that for little old me? What do you have?" Her dark eyes danced with excitement.

The messenger demon bowed low to the ground, and pulled a file out from under his arm. With a shaking hand, he handed it to the Queen of the Demons. She took the file, and popped it open. "It is directly from Nidhogg, My Lady." She waved him off nonchalantly. "You may go, Fenris. I will call upon you again if I need you later."

He gulped. "Um, My Lady? You vaporized Fenris in the overworld."

Hild blinked, then smiled and playfully smacked her forehead. "Oops, silly me, yes I did. My mistake. What is your name again?"

The messenger demon stood nervously. "I'm…I'm Hermes, Your Ladyship."

Hild giggled. "You may go, Hermes. If I have need for you, I will call." With another bow, and not a small measure of relief, the messenger demon vanished. She shook her head and giggled again. Ah, being the ruler of demonkind was just too much fun. She opened the file again, and glanced through the contents. Her smile faded, and her brows furrowed. She closed the file, and gazed at the floor. She chewed the inside of her cheek in thought. _So Lady Hariasa is on her way here._ She tapped her cheek. _Why does she travel here?_ She pulled a sheet from the file, and grinned. Ah, that was the reason. _Diademonica is her daughter! Her appearance here must have something to do with her! Oh, this is going to be fun to watch! I will have my entertainment after all!_

XXX

Buddhist Temple, Nekomi, Japan

Even though it was later in the day, the sunlight was still a bright and welcomed sight in the back yard of the temple. Lind and Cyrus looked up as the door slid open, and Diademonica lightly clanked her way out onto the attached deck. She grinned down at the Valkyrie and her familiar. "Ah, I see you found the fleabag's weakness. Scratch him long enough, and he goes to sleep." She grimaced. "He snores though."

Cyrus opened his yellow eyes and glared at her. _I do not, Dia, so don't even go there._

Dia grinned. "Cyrus, either you snore, or Jacques has a chainsaw that he uses for hours and hours each night."

Cyrus snorted. _I'm not touching that one, Dia._

She shrugged, and walked out into the yard. Dia grimaced as she saw the indention she made in the ground from Hild's half-hearted toss. She scratched the back of her head. _I am glad that she gave that poor kid up to Belldandy. If she had taken him back, I know I couldn't have stopped her._ She clenched her hands hard enough that her knuckles cracked. _How? How could I still be so weak? I have had centuries to develop my powers, and they are like a gnat to a titan! She flung me like I was a useless sack of shit._

There was a loud commotion inside the temple, and immediately Lind was up and headed toward the door. Dia glanced at Lind's departure, then growled in anger. There had to be something wrong with her if she couldn't even muster up a decent fight-

"DIA! DIA, ARE YOU HERE? I SENSE YOUR AURA! ANSWER ME!"

Dia's eyes widened, and she face-palmed. "Are you fucking kidding me?" She growled. "I can't catch a fucking break! Is there no where I can go that woman can't still find me?"

XXX

Urd was rather happy after she had several cups of sake and chatted with Dia. She watched Dia as she got up and left to head outside. Said she needed to get some air for a moment, which was fine with the Goddess. She grinned, the two of them were so much alike, but she had to admit, there were times that Dia definitely had a much darker side to her. _I know that I would hate to be on the receiving end of her blade! That thing is wicked!_ Much to her surprise, the large mirror in the room started to glow. She yelped in surprise as someone traveled through the mirror and into the temple. She yelled for Belldandy and Skuld.

Lind ran into the living room about the same time that Belldandy and Skuld appeared. A tall, monstrous looking woman materialized from the mirror. She had eyes that were as black as night, and they darted quickly over everyone in the room. Her spiked armor was deep red in color, and distortions danced at the edges. Of course what caught Lind's eyes the most was the positively evil looking blade that she carried. Claymore began to describe it in size, but hers…it was just monstrous! Black as the night, with red lines in the metal. She took a step forward, her eyes never left Lind's.

"DIA! DIA ARE YOU HERE? I SENSE YOUR AURA! ANSWER ME!" The large woman thundered, steel laced her voice. It reminded the Goddesses of when The Almighty summoned someone, as it held that much power.

Belldandy stepped forward, aware that she was dwarfed by the much larger woman. "I don't know who you are, but you have barged into our home, and I would demand to know who you are, and what your intentions here will be!"

Lady Hariasa blinked as she gazed at the upstart. This Goddess had nerve, she would give her credit for that much. If she was the one that took her Dia though, she would happily slice her nerves one by one until she begged for both release and mercy. She smiled broadly, her pointed fangs caught the light. "I am Lady Hariasa. Vanguard Commander of the Shadow Stalkers, Blood Knight of the First Rank. Commander of Hell's armored legions, and you…" She pointed an armored finger at Belldandy. "You are holding my daughter. I have come to take her back!"

Belldandy smiled. "Oh, you must be Diademonica's mother! She spoke of you."

The Shadow Stalker smiled malevolently. "I am sure she has. Now, tell me where she is, or there will not be enough to identify-"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, mother! Quit being such a bitch, and be nice for once!" Dia fumed from the open back door, her arms crossed. "You didn't give two shits when I was actually in trouble before. What were your words? 'Deal with it, you have to learn to do this on your own!' What got into you?"

Lady Hariasa rounded on her daughter, and was taken by surprise. It was indeed her daughter, intact, and…her eyes widened in shock. Wings! Her daughter now had…wings? She starred at her for a few more seconds, and then shook her head. She smiled. "Dia," She started. "I am always concerned for your well-being, after all, I am your mother!"

Dia arched an eyebrow, a look of disbelief upon her face. "Uh huh. I have heard that one before." She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She opened her violet eyes, and pinned her mother's black ones. "Why are you here, mother?" She asked wearily. "I tire of playing this game. For once, would you please quit hiding behind that façade of yours, and just tell it to me plain. I am a big girl, you know."

Any trace of pleasantness vanished from Lady Hariasa. She pointed Vengeance down into the floor, and held her hands on top of the hilt. She stared at her daughter. "I need you to come with me. Lucifer has grown weak, and I mean to usurp his rulership over hell." She watched as Dia blinked in surprise. "I want you at my side. Together, we can march the armies of hell across the Earth, and conquer. This is what you were born for, Dia. This is your destiny that I planned out from the moment I conceived you with Myrlyn."

Diademonica blinked several times. Did she just…did she hear her MOTHER correctly? She wanted to rule hell, have Dia at her side, and crush Earth under her heel? She uncrossed her arms and stared at her mother, different expressions warred over control of her face. One of them finally won, and it wasn't what Lady Hariasa expected.

Diademonica, daughter of Lady Hariasa, the greatest of the Lucifer's Shadow Stalkers, laughed. Not a small laugh, but a laugh brought forth from her very soul. She laughed so hard, tears ran down her face. She wiped away the tears that had leaked down her face, and caught her breath. Her mother looked at her stonily, and she gestured her mother over. "Come here for a moment mother, there is something I need to tell you."

Lady Hariasa slowly made her way over toward her daughter, all four of the Goddesses watched both the Shadow Stalker and Dia with growing concern. As she closed within several feet of her daughter, Dia suddenly jolted forward. Quickly, and in one smooth fluid motion, she grabbed her mother's arm and pulled her toward her. She dropped backwards toward the ground, and her legs shot out. As she briefly balanced her bewildered mother on her feet, she rolled back and shoved her legs forward with all of her might. She was gratified with a brief view of her mother's stunned face as she was hurled out toward the back yard.

The force of Dia's shove sent Lady Hariasa crashing through part of the back door, and out into the back yard. As she slammed into the ground, Dia finished her roll and stood up. The thunderstruck Goddesses came and stood behind her, shock evident upon their faces. Dia made a gesture of clapping her hands back and forth as if to clear away dust. With a broad grin, Dia crossed her arms again. "You could say, that I just told you a big 'no', mother."

Cyrus padded over to his mistress. His tail swished back and forth as he gazed up at his mistress. _I hope you know what you are doing, Dia. You do realize that your mother could rip you apart, just tossing that out there. _He grimaced. _Er, no pun intended, of course._

Dia shook her head. "Nah, she will be pissed, not talk to me for a month, and then she will get over it. It is what she always does." She shrugged indifferently. "Of course, I don't mind the whole not talking to me for a month part, it does make for a much more quiet and enjoyable life."

XXX

Hild appeared quietly upon the temple roof, and quickly made herself comfortable for the upcoming show. She arrived just in time to witness Lady Hariasa thrown outside the temple by Diademonica. She grinned with excitement. Yeah, she definitely had some serious balls. Of course, if even half of the Shadow Stalker's file was accurate, she was probably going to be neutered the hard way very soon. She lazily leaned back as she floated, and for the briefest of moments, wished she had remembered to get some popcorn. This was bound to be quite a show!

XXX

Lady Hariasa was face-first into the dirt. She starred at it in utter disbelief. Had her daughter really refused her offer? Had she really hurled her out of the temple without even a second thought? Her own daughter had humiliated and embarrassed her in front of everyone here? Humiliated HER, the Vanguard Commander of the Shadow Stalkers! Humiliated a Blood Knight of the First Rank? Rage and fury sang within her veins, hatred bubbled forth from her dark soul. No one humiliated her! NO ONE HUMILIATED HER AND SURVIVED!

The Shadow Stalker slowly stood, and starred out toward the waning sun. Her body shook with barely contained rage. She slowly turned, and faced her daughter. Her black eyes bored into Dia's violet ones, and then they slid into red. Her black hair slid into the deepest red. She stuck her hand out, and Vengeance wedged itself up from the floor, and flew toward her hand. It knocked Dia aside as it heeded the call of its mistress. As her hand closed around Vengeance, it increased slightly in size, and became the largest Claymore anyone ever saw. With a scream of rage toward the heavens, demonic wings appeared behind her, and unfurled into curtains of dread.

Dia stood in the slightly wrecked doorway of the temple, a smile of satisfaction upon her lips. She made her own desires known, and her mother was bound to leave her alone now. Her brows furrowed as her mother got up, and turned toward them. She grew concerned as she saw the way her mother shook, and witnessed her transformation into her full demonic state. She called Vengeance to her, and she was knocked sideways by the force of the blade's egress toward her mother. The distortions around her armor increased, which caused her great concern. _Shit, had she gone too far this time?_ Dia's eyes widened as she saw wings appear from her mother. _Mother has wings? Oh shit…_

Cyrus stared at Lady Hariasa, his yellow eyes widened in fright. He then looked up at his mistress, his tail swished in annoyance. _Um, Dia? Do you remember how I have told you that you have done some really fucking stupid things in your life?_

Dia briefly glanced at her familiar, a little surprised that he stooped down to her kind of language. "Yeah?"

Cyrus gazed back at the terrifying sight of the transformed Lady Hariasa. _I think you can chalk this up there as the greatest fuck up that you have done, yet._

Dia swallowed, and grimaced. "Yeah, no shit."


	12. Chapter 11-Intervention

_Author's Note: Well, I should have known. I gave my creations an inch, and they took a yard. My little experiment with my characters has been fun, but like all good things, it must come to end. Dia and company will be going back home, and the first of the bumps to Hild's plan comes to a close. My next chapter, 'Seeds', will plant what will cumulate into the eventual love of Keiichi and Urd. I thank my readers for their patience, and putting up with one of my wild hairs that I had. On with the show…_

_Disclaimer: I do not own AMG or any of the characters that belong in that series. I only own Dia, Cyrus, and Hariasa. They just decided to come out and play. :)_

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter Eleven

Intervention

Central Court, Heaven

Peorth walked quickly through the hallway. One did not tarry if one was summoned before The Almighty One. She was nervous, though she couldn't point a finger at what it was. All day, she had felt jumpy, and things hadn't worked quite right with Yggdrasil, either. There were massive delays in processing, and there had been a jump in system bugs. Since nothing in heaven could explain the problems, it must have something to do with the earth below them. That must be it! There is another problem that stemmed from earth, like when Belldandy first went down to fulfill Keiichi's wish.

The Rose Goddess quickly entered the Central Chambers, and saw the shadow of The Almighty One as he sat in Court. She stopped, and bowed low to the Patriarch of Heaven.

"Rise, Peorth."

Peorth stood at attention, her eyes locked on the shadow of where The Almighty One sat. "Almighty, you summoned me?"

A deep chuckle rumbled the room. "Yes, Peorth, I did. Have you noticed strange things here in heaven today?"

The Rose Goddess nodded. "Yes, Almighty, I have. I have felt jumpy, Yggdrasil is slow to process requests, and there has been a large outbreak of unexplainable bugs in the system!"

The Almighty one sighed. "Yes, my child, there is an explanation for that. It is the imbalance that exists right now upon Earth. One of my children has done something…a little foolish, and has started a chain reaction that already affects us, but would soon cause problems for another reality."

Peorth blinked. "Almighty, what could have caused such an imbalance within the two realms?"

"A good, and noble intention, my dear child, but one that was not thought through to its ultimate conclusion." He paused for a moment as one of the system bugs made a face, and hoped by. He shook his head. "Please find Lady Anzus, as I will need her help too in getting this situation straighten out the correct way. I wish for the two of you to meet me in Elysium, and prepare for travel."

The Rose Goddess was thunderstruck. "You want me to find Belldandy's mother? Is Belldandy in trouble?"

"Not from me as such, but she is partially behind the imbalance, my child. I believe her mother wants a few words with her, too."

XXX

Buddhist Temple, Nekomi, Japan

Hild couldn't stand it, she had to have some popcorn for the upcoming fight extravaganza! She sent Hermes back to her realm with orders to bring her a chair, and a bowl of her best popcorn. She zapped him with a little lightning bolt when he brought her regular butter for her popcorn. He should know that the Queen of the Demons had to watch her figure, after all! She munched with contentment, and watched the commotion at the edge of her seat. This wasn't in her plans, but hey, when in Rome…

XXX

For once in her long life, Lind felt a small twinge of fear. All the demons that were in this reality, Lady Hild included, were usually under some small measure of control. The most important was the doublet system, since it kept the balance by ensuring the Goddesses and Demons didn't kill each other. Of course, the higher ranking Goddesses and Demons, Hild included, wore the power limiters that them from accidently unleashing everything and destroying the mortal plane. Neither Lady Hariasa nor Diademonica wore power limiters, and if Dia was almost a match to a Goddess in pure power, the Shadow Stalker approached Lady Hild in power. The results would be catastrophic!

Belldandy watched the terrifying transformation of Lady Hariasa with utter shock. She was not used to any of the higher ranking demons powering up to full levels. With the doublet system and power limiters in place, this kind of thing didn't happen too often. Oh, sure, there was the occasional rogue demon that tried things like this, but Lady Hild always saw to it that they were taken down quietly, so as to not disturb the precious balance. Both Lady Hariasa and Dia were technically beyond her jurisdiction, so she didn't have to do anything. Technically, she could let them lose, and just laugh as the world was consumed in a great ball of fire. Could that really be her plan? Did she set this into motion just so this could happen?

Urd stared with wide eyes at the horrific shape that stood before them. Dia's mother was quite a scary looking woman before she lost her mind. Now that she was completely out of her tree and hit several branches on the way down, she was positively terrifying. She gulped. _I can just think of this as a preview of what might happen if I cross the line too much with my own mother._ She glanced over at Dia, and felt her stomach drop. _Oh, this can't be good. I would say she has never seen her mother this pissed before, either. Oh, Dia, tread carefully my new friend!_

Dia sighed loudly, and marched out onto the back yard. Maybe there was some way that she could cool her mother down, and have things go back to normal. Yeah, she could be a bitch, but she was her mother. Her violet eyes searched her mother's red eyes for any sign of what passed for her normal mother, but there wasn't any at hand. Great, now she was going to have to fight her own mother, this was going to be utterly fantastic. She spread her wings, and drew Ragnarok. Her mother eyed the blade, then her. Dia took one step forward, then froze.

XXX

Lady Hild was at the edge of her seat. She watched Dia step forward to challenge her mother, then…nothing. What the hell? Even her furious mother just stood there like a statue. She tapped her lips, something was definitely brewing. What it was she couldn't…

Hild's eyes widened as the hairs on the back of her neck rose. She felt the familiar feelings of power as it cascaded off her skin. Her eyes immediately darted toward the sky above them, and watched in disbelief as the clouds parted in the center with a perfect circle. A sunbeam lanced through the clouds, and lit the area just behind the crater that marked her entrance. She glared at the sunbeam. _Oh no, not him!_ She face palmed. There goes her afternoon's entertainment…

XXX

Belldandy, Urd, Lind, and Skuld blinked in surprise. One moment, Dia was facing off with her mother, and then the next instant, both of them were frozen to the spot. Belldandy cocked her head, then felt the familiar pinpricks of power across her skin. She turned toward her sisters, but they already looked above them. The clouds opened, and a burst of heavenly sunlight landed behind the crater left by Hild. Three clouded shapes appeared from within the sunlight, and then the clouds dissipated. Belldandy's mouth dropped open in shock. There stood The Almighty One! She bowed low, as did her sisters and Lind.

"Rise, my children." The Patriarch commanded warmly.

They stood, and Belldandy gasped. Her mother was here! She smiled at her mother, then her bright smile slowly faded. Lady Anzus stood next to The Almighty One with her arms crossed and a scowl upon her pretty face. "I am led to understand that you are partially to blame for the troubles in heaven, young lady!"

Belldandy cocked her head in puzzlement. "Oka-sama? What do you mean?"

Lady Anzus uncrossed her arms, and pointed toward the frozen Diademonica. "Thanks to bringing her here from another reality, that…woman," She spat as she pointed to Lady Hariasa. "Felt compelled to follow. Things were already unbalanced enough in this reality with just Diademonica." She glared at Belldandy. "What were you thinking?"

Belldandy's eyes lowered. "I knew that Keiichi was taken against his will from the temple, and wanted to get help-"

Lady Anzus stepped forward, then found her way blocked by The Almighty One's arm. She looked up into his face, and he gently shook his head. She demurred, and stepped back. The Almighty One smiled, and walked toward the Goddesses. He stopped between Dia and Lady Hariasa, and shook his head. He placed his hands on their heads, and they faded and dulled in appearance. "We can't have your reality anymore unbalanced then my own. I will talk to my counterpart in your reality, and smooth things over. Neither of you will remember your time here, nor will anything you have said or done be recalled."

The Almighty One stood before the Goddesses, and smiled. He blinked in surprise though when he noticed the black and white cat bathing itself, the rune of power clearly displayed upon its head. "Interesting," The Almighty One rumbled. "My spell holds all those with demon blood not of this reality bound. Yet, you are still able to move, I wonder how that is possible?!" He gazed at the 'familiar' with a mischievous grin.

Cyrus gazed up at The Patriarch, and coughed once. _Well, actually, there is a very good, logical explanation for that, My Lord._

The Almighty One shook his head in bemusement. "I should have guessed. Well, as I can't command this of you, I have a request of you, little one."

_It would be my honor, My Lord._

The Almighty chuckled in amusement. "As you are. I ask that you never speak to either Diademonica, or Lady Hariasa about anything that transpired here. This little incident spun way out of control, and I have a feeling that they are both needed in your reality."

_As you wish, My Lord. I thank you for the trust that you have given me._

The Almighty One reached down and scratched Cyrus behind the ears, and stood up. "Time to leave now, my little friend."

Cyrus padded by the Goddesses, and stopped. He looked up at each one of them, paying more attention to Urd, Belldandy, and Lind. _Thank you, my brief friends, for the hospitality shown to Dia and myself. Though she won't be able to thank you herself, I thank you for her._ He gazed at Urd._ My Lady Urd, never think less of yourself just because you are half-demon. It can be a source of strength, if you use it in balance with your Goddess half. There are those that appreciate you for who you are. Dia was one of them, there are more. Perhaps even closer than you might possibly think._

The familiar walked up to Lind, and blinked at her. _May your arm be strong, your eyes sharp, and your fingers still able to scratch a cat's ears until he purrs._ Lind smiled and nodded once.

Cyrus stopped before Belldandy. _I am sorry, dearest Belldandy that we couldn't stay longer. I defer though to The Almighty's judgment that our appearance here has caused a ruckus._ He chuckled. _Well, more than normal, anyways._

Belldandy reached down and picked up Cyrus. She held him for a moment, and lightly kissed the top of his head. "Take care of Dia, Cyrus. Something tells me she will really need you in the time ahead of her." She set him back down on the ground, and backed up a step.

Cyrus leaped up onto Dia's shoulder, and made himself comfortable. With one last flick of his tail, he turned his yellow eyes toward The Almighty One. _Ready to leave, My Lord._

The Almighty One nodded, and smiled broadly. "You have a good, strong character, Cyruxinate. Don't ever lose that." He nodded once toward Dia. "Something tells me she has a great destiny in her reality. Maybe one day, we will meet again young one, hmmm?"

He placed his hands once more upon both Diademonica, and Lady Hariasa. The Patriarch closed his eyes, and spent a few moments murmuring the proper spell. Glyphs appeared beneath Dia and her mother, and once the lights from the glyphs traveled up their bodies and above their heads, they vanished in a great bright, white light. Satisfied, The Almighty One stood before the Goddesses. He smiled down upon them. "Well, they have now been sent back where they belong. However, now things must be put right."

Belldandy looked at the ground as The Almighty One gazed down upon her. "Belldandy, look at me." Belldandy still looked at the ground and fought the tears that threatened to spill. The Almighty One placed a finger under her chin, and gently turned her face up toward him. "I am not angry with you, Belldandy. Just disappointed." He sighed. "I thought you would have more faith in things turning out the way they should." He smiled lightly. "You know very little happens in either heaven or earth that I don't know about."

Belldandy nodded, and chewed her lip. The Almighty One sighed while he turned and gazed up toward the roof. "I would say that I was surprised that you were at ground zero of this little escapade, but I know you tell well."

Lady Hild grimaced. _Busted._ She faded off the roof, and appeared a few feet from them. Her arms crossed and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! It was going to be the match of the millennium! Things have been a bit boring around here, and well, you know, it would have been a blast!"

The Almighty One shook his head. "Lady Hild, I am a gentleman. As such, I just have one request. Please, go home. I am sure there are other things that demand your attention beyond one brief scuffle up here."

Hild rolled her eyes once more and huffed. "Fine. It beats getting a lecture from you any day." She waved cheerfully at the Goddesses. "See you soon!"

She vanished in a puff of smoke. The Almighty shook his regal head. _Nothing changes with that woman._ He turned back to Belldandy. "You will have to answer for this, my child. There will be a summons for you in a couple earth days, so ready yourself."

Belldandy nodded, her eyes downcast. The Almighty One patted her shoulder once, and gazed upon Lind. "Now that things are back under control down here, your abilities are not needed down here, Lind. Please return with us to heaven, I have a new assignment that I wanted to give you."

Lind nodded, and with one last glance at her friends, headed toward the sunbeam. Once the other three Goddesses joined The Almighty One in the sunbeam, it winked back up into heaven, and the clouds came back together again. Belldandy and her sisters gazed upwards another couple of moments before they headed back into the temple.

XXX

Aurora, Colorado U.S.A.

Diademonica stood at her wall jack, the phone in her hand. Her fingers hovered over the number keys, then suddenly looked left and right. She would have sworn someone was just here. She glanced at her mirror, and her brows furrowed in puzzlement. Why would the mirror interest her? She has looked at herself numerous times when brushing her hair, but who cares? She shook her head, well, she should go ahead and call the client back.

_You know, my food bowl is still empty._

Dia sighed. "Honestly, Cyrus, You must have a tapeworm or something?" She glanced around again. "Wasn't there someone here a moment ago?"

Her yellow and white tabby sat on her desk and stared at her. _Honestly, Dia, I wish there had been. Then at least they could have filled my bowl._

Dia growled. "Cyrus, would-"

There were three knocks at her door. "Dia, are you home, dear? Jacques has this wonderful mixed drink he wants us to try!"

She face-palmed, and sighed. "Yes, mother, I am here. Come in."

Lady Hariasa grinned as she came into the office. "Come on, dear, you can call someone back later. You have to try this drink!"

Dia replaced the phone onto its cradle and grimaced. "Maybe I shouldn't ask, but what is this one called?"

Her mother grinned and clapped her hands once. "I believe he called it 'Bumpy Ride'."

Dia groaned and felt her stomach lurch. "Of course he did, and I bet it will live up to its name."

Lady Hariasa led Dia out the door. Cyrus sat upon Dia's desk. He washed a paw, and glanced up toward the mirror. The face of The Almighty One appeared there, and Cyrus blinked. With his best attempt at a smile, he nodded once. _Thank you, Almighty One. I owe you one._

The Almighty One nodded once at Cyrus, and with a final wink, he was gone.


	13. Chapter 12-Seeds

_Disclaimer: I do not own AMG, or any of the characters that are native to that universe._

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter Twelve

Seeds

Buddhist Temple, Nekomi, Japan

Seven years later.

Evening

"But mommy! What was the point of that story? That didn't have anything about you and daddy being together in it!

Urd blinked at her daughter. She was trying to do as she asked, but it was a rather convoluted story how she and Keiichi got together. It wasn't like they ended up together in just a few weeks or even a month or two. The Goddess sighed in resignation. Her beloved daughter definitely inherited her impatience. "The point behind that particular part of the story, dearest Beyla, was that even your Aunt Belldandy, one of the best people I know, can get into some trouble."

Beyla giggled with delight. "You know all about getting into trouble, don't you mommy?"

The goddesses narrowed her eyes playfully, her hands upon her hips. "Now, how would you know that, little one? Have you been talking to your Aunt Skuld again?"

Urd's darling little girl giggled again. "I will never tell, mommy."

The Goddess licked her lips. "Beyla Didra Morisato. What secrets are you withholding from your mother, hmmm?"

Beyla giggled again, and jumped up from her bed and ran down the hall. Urd sighed again, and shook her head. She couldn't help but grin though. Her daughter was so much like her it was rather scary. She started to leave her daughter's room, and her cell phone rang from her pocket. She retrieved her phone, and briefly glanced at the ID picture. Ah, it was Gloria, her wonderful publisher! With a smile, she flicked her wrist and popped the phone open.

"Yes, Gloria? Hi. What can I do for you?" She paused for a moment, then grinned. "They ordered another printing of a million copies? Outstanding!" She looked up toward the ceiling, a grin upon her lips. "You could say, Gloria, that there is a lot of inspiration behind the 'Goddess and the Mortal' series." Urd quickly walked to her bedroom, and pulled up her desk calendar. She flipped forward a couple of months. "Yes, I should have the draft and manuscript ready for you by then. Uh huh. Thanks Gloria, goodbye."

Urd flipped her phone closed, and grinned. It really shouldn't have surprised herself that she could translate her experiences over her long lifetime into romance novels. It felt good though that she contributed much to help Keiichi with the house and bring in another good source of income for them. Speaking of which, he should be on his way home now. She flipped her phone open, and started to dial the number attached to his picture…

XXX

Keiichi breathed a sigh of relief. The day was drawing to a close, and he was almost back to Nekomi. He still couldn't believe that he managed to land the position of Chief of Research and Development for Kawasaki Motors. It allowed him to actually have a hand in the next generation of motorcycles that the kids would be riding. He grinned. Once their next prototype was ready for production, he was going to be taking a two week vacation with Urd and his daughter. He smiled as he patted the email that verified his travel plans in his shirt pocket. It would definitely give them some time to enjoy themselves away from home for a while.

His cellphone rang, his ringtone of "You are my Sunshine" played. Speak of the devil, er, Goddess. He smiled as he pulled his phone up from his cup holder, and hit talk. "Hi Sweetheart, how are things?"

Urd laughed on the other end. "Oh, same old. I received a call from Gloria just a few moments ago, and she said they ordered another million copies printed of my latest novel!"

Keiichi blinked in surprise, and he grinned broadly. "So, I take it Gloria wants you to hurry up and churn out your next million seller, eh?"

Urd laughed again on the other end. "You know it, baby." She paused. "I missed you at dinner tonight, sweetheart. Things went longer today, didn't they?"

Keiichi sighed wearily. "Yeah, it has been a real knuckle-buster, but we are wrapping up the newest line, and she should be ready to go into production within a few more weeks." He paused for just a moment. "I am just about there, beloved, is there still anything left to eat?"

"Of course there is." He grinned as he just saw in his mind's eye her rolling her eyes. "It will be warmed and ready for you when you get in."

"There is my turn, I should be there in about 15 minutes. See you soon, I love you."

XXX

"I love you, too, my Keiichi." Urd said as she hit the end button on her phone. She smiled. He would be home soon, so it was a good time to nuke the leftovers. She headed toward the kitchen, and found Beyla already in there. Her five year old had several rice balls on a plate, and was munching happily on one of them. Urd put her phone back in her pocket, and set her hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes. "I don't remember saying someone could help herself to more of the rice balls."

Beyla looked like the proverbial kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. With a guilty look, she pushed the plate forward on the table. She looked up at Urd, her little lips quivered. "You aren't mad, are you mommy?"

Urd smiled and rolled her eyes. Five years old, and she already knew how to push her mother's buttons. She sighed and shook her head. "I would have only been mad if you had finished them all, sweetie. Those were part of daddy's dinner."

Her eyes lit up. "Is daddy on his way home?"

Urd grinned and picked up the plate and headed toward the refrigerator. "Yes, pumpkin, he is on his way. Should be here in about 10 minutes or so."

With a whoop of happiness, Beyla headed toward the front door to wait for her father. Urd smiled and shook her head. She gathered the leftovers from dinner, and set them on a plate in the microwave. She set it to 50% for five minutes, then headed to the coffee maker. She set it up to process a decaf coffee, and let it run. Everything was just about ready for Keiichi when he came in the door. She heard the heavier engine of their Mitsubishi Lancer as it thrummed up once more, then shut off. She grinned as she heard the car door open, and then slam. The microwave dinged, and Urd pulled his warmed dinner out, and set it on the table. It was still a few minutes from the coffee being ready, but she knew how to keep him busy until it was ready…

The front door slid open, and Urd heard a loud cry of, "Daddy!" before she heard Keiichi grunt. She came into the hallway in time to see him lift up Beyla into a big hug. "How is my precious little one today? Were you good for mommy?"

She looked into her father's eyes with a grin. "I was very good for mommy, I even helped her with your dinner!"

Keiichi's eyebrow rose in silent question toward his wife. Urd grinned and shrugged. "What she left off, as that she helped herself to part of your dinner, actually." She laughed.

Keiichi narrowed his eyes. "Did you help yourself to some of my dinner, hmm?"

Beyla giggled. "Just one rice ball, daddy. Didn't think you would miss it."

XXX

Keiichi sat with Urd at the dinner table, his dinner long eaten. He sipped his after dinner coffee, and just enjoyed the quiet time with Urd. He reached over and took her hand. "Thank you, sweetheart. That was really good, and just what the doctor ordered."

Urd gently squeezed his hand, but looked concerned. "I do wish there was a way you could take a break, Keiichi. You are running yourself ragged again." Her lips twitched. "You may have been 'enhanced', but you are still half mortal, you know."

Keiichi grinned and winked at her. He squeezed her hand, and then reached up into his shirt pocket. He took out the folded up email, and handed it to his wife. She took it from him with a questioning look, and unfolded it. After about a minute of scanning and reading, a beautiful smile graced her lips. She put the paper down upon the table, and stood up. She came around the table, and sat next to him. Without warning, she grabbed him into a hug, and gave him a big kiss.

After they parted, Keiichi looked into her eyes. "We have both been very busy lately, and I figured it was time for a break." He grinned mischievously. "Besides, Beyla is getting old enough, I figured she would appreciate traveling a bit with us." He finished the last bit of his coffee. "I always wanted to see Disneyland, and figured that the three of us could enjoy ourselves there for a while."

Urd nodded, and grinned. "Oh, by the way, Beyla wanted to know how we met, so I started telling her the story earlier."

Keiichi shook his head and smiled. "Well, how far did you get?"

"Not far. Only managed to get past the point where Dia and her group were sent back to their reality. She grew impatient since it didn't have anything to do with us together, yet."

Keiichi laughed. "There are never any doubts that she is your daughter, sweetheart. Just as impatient as her mother."

"Hey!" Urd lightly punched him in the shoulder. "I am not an impatient person!" Keiichi quirked an eyebrow at her, and she blushed as she turned away. "Okay, there are times that I can be a bit…assertive, but I try to limit it to the bedroom, dear!"

He put his arm around her, and drew her forward. Keiichi gave her a kiss that took her breath away, and then let her go. He gazed into her eyes, his feelings of love quite pronounced. He glanced at his watch. "I do believe it is getting very close to Beyla's bedtime. Maybe we should both tell her this story, yes?"

Urd grinned. "Sounds good. I will make sure she gets her teeth brushed, and gets into bed." She gave him a quick kiss. "See you in a few."

XXX

Beyla was snuggled up in her bed, her stuffed yellow and white cat safely in her arms. Keiichi grinned when he saw it. He never got the opportunity to meet Cyruxinate, but he definitely left quite an impression upon his wife. His eyebrow rose when she got the toy for Beyla, and said his name was 'Cyrus'. He shook his head. Shame he never got a chance to meet him or Dia, but, he couldn't do anything about that now. He came over and sat in the chair next to his daughter's bed. He grinned at Urd, whom sat upon the bed.

"Well, Beyla, your mother told me that the story earlier ended after Dia went back to her own home. Is that right?"

Beyla giggled. "Yes, daddy, that is right. But when do you and mommy actually get together?"

Keiichi laughed. "It wasn't easy, little one, and it was a rather long and bumpy road…"

XXX

Buddhist Temple, Nekomi, Japan

Seven years before.

Keiichi sat in the grass in a wide, luxurious field full of numerous flowers and trees. There was a red and white checkered blanket spread out nearby, and a picnic basket sat upon the blanket. He looked around, puzzled. How did he get here, and why? He shrugged, and stood up. He dusted himself off, and headed to the blanket and picnic basket. He popped it open, and cocked his head in puzzlement. It was empty. He looked around, but didn't find any signs of anyone there. He scratched his head. _What the hell am I doing here?_ He closed the basket, and looked toward the sky.

_What do you want most in your life, Keiichi Morisato?_

Keiichi looked around. He heard a voice, but where did-

_It is a simple enough question, Keiichi Morisato. What is it that you want the most in life? Do you wish to have fabulous riches? Do you wish to have a fast car? What is the one thing that you desire to have the most in your life?_

"Who are you? Why am I here?"

_You are here, Keiichi Morisato, because the question needs an answer. I am here to find the answer to that simple question I posed to you. It is the one question that both fascinates and repels you, enthralls you and horrifies you. This one question is what will propel you the furthest onto the path of life, no matter where it takes you._

Keiichi cocked his head. "Well, actually, that is easy. I want to have the love of a wonderful Goddess, and have her by my side, always."

_So, your desire springs from loneliness, and the desire of one to experience true love._ Keiichi was shocked as the voice now changed, and it sounded like…Urd? _Love of a Goddess is a powerful thing, Keiichi Morisato. One does not simply fall in and out of love with a divine being. You must be sure that this is the path you tread, for it will not be an easy one._

Keiichi laughed. "I don't know who you are, but if you have the ability to look into my mind, you can see that my life has been anything but easy. I love the Goddesses that are with me now with all my heart, but life has been more difficult with them around."

_Your life has been richer though, has it not?_

Keiichi grinned. "Yes."

_What do you feel for them? What do you feel for Belldandy?_

The mortal paused. "I love her very much. I want her to be by my side forever."

_What do you feel for Urd?_

Keiichi shook his head and grinned. "Urd…Urd is, complicated. She reminds me of an older version of my sister Megumi. She can be rather aggressive, but I have seen that she has a sensitive and loving side to her."

_She cares for you more then you know, Keiichi Morisato. If events didn't play out as you wanted them, but still was able to have the love of a wonderful Goddess, would you question how or why it came to be?_

Keiichi was puzzled, and his eyebrow quirked. "I do not know who you are, but I ask that you speak plain, I do not understand. Is something going to happen to Belldandy or Urd?"

_Questions always have a way of being answered, Keiichi Morisato. Sometimes in ways that you can't even possibly imagine. No matter what happens, have faith in yourself, and trust your instincts. No matter what happens, Urd and Skuld will watch over you._

"Watch over me? What are you talking about?" Keiichi heard nothing more. "Hello? Please, watch over me, what is going on?"

_The Sleeper must awaken._


	14. Chapter 13-Awakenings

_Disclaimer: I do not own AMG, or any of the characters that so wonderfully populate that alternate reality._

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter Thirteen

Awakenings

Buddhist Temple, Nekomi, Japan

Urd shook her head and sighed as she headed toward her room. This had been a very long day, and with all the excitement now over, it was time for the cleanup from all the damage. She wasn't much for cleaning, but it would be nice for Keiichi to wake to a temple that didn't look like a complete disaster area. Belldandy had gone back to finish cooking dinner, so it fell to her to help with the repairs and cleanup. Since she headed this way anyhow, she decided someone should check up on Keiichi. She stopped outside his door, and she swore she heard moans from within his room. She chewed her lip, then grabbed a towel from the bathroom and headed toward his room.

Keiichi moaned lightly in pain, and slowly opened his eyes. The light caused his eyes to ache, and he closed them again. When he opened them once more, the concerned face of Urd swam into focus. She gently wiped his face with a damp washcloth. He noticed a brief look of concern on her face, before it was replaced with her usual smirk. "Well, you finally decided to join us, eh, Morisato?" She wiped his face gently again, and her smirk fell as she chewed her lip. "You had us worried, Keiichi. Hild has never done anything like this before, we weren't sure that we would get you back."

Keiichi's body felt like he was dropped from a second story window, and his lips were dry and cracked. He licked them a few times, and he tried to speak. He didn't get more than a few sounds out before Urd put a finger upon his lips. "Don't try to talk, Keiichi. You have been through a lot. Belldandy will want to know that you are awake, she was terribly worried about you." She gave a small smile. "I will let her know that you are up." She gave him one more gently wipe with the washcloth, and turned to leave. At the doorway, she stopped. "I'm glad that you are awake Keiichi."

Keiichi lay there on his futon, and covered his face with his hand. He never felt so sore in his life, there was a dull ache that just ebbed and throbbed almost in time with his heartbeat. He felt groggy, almost as if he was hung over. Since he knew Hild wouldn't have thrown him a party, it had to be from whatever they were doing to him down there. He shuddered. Thankfully, he couldn't remember anything that happened down there. There was something else though, he couldn't place his finger on it, but he didn't feel like he was alone. It felt as though someone or something was watching him.

_Very perceptive, Keiichi. You are being watched, from the inside._ A feminine voice giggled in his head.

Keiichi sat up quickly, then moaned in pain. He shouldn't have moved so fast, but that strange voice took him by surprise. He cracked his neck gently, and glanced around the room. Was there someone in the shadows? Keiichi couldn't make out any shapes in the room that wasn't there normally, but he could have sworn that he heard-

_Wow, Lady Hild was right about you. You are a bit dim, Keiichi._

Keiichi blinked in surprise. "Who said that?" he whispered to the empty room.

_I did._ The same feminine voice sighed in his head. _Granted, Cerberus did rather work you over pretty hard, but I would have figured that you would have remembered little ol' me being gifted to you._

Keiichi growled. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

He heard the presence sigh in his head again. _I am to be your familiar, Keiichi Morisato, and my name is Corruption._ In his mind's eye, Keiichi saw her grin. _Pleased to meet you…master._

Keiichi shivered. "Why do I have you in me? What is your purpose?"

"Keiichi? Who are you talking to?" Came a concerned voice from the doorway.

He turned and found Urd and Belldandy at the doorway. Keiichi smiled sheepishly. "I think I am losing my mind, Bell. I swear I heard a voice talking inside me, and when I asked what the name was, it answered that it was 'Corruption', but I can't-"

"Corruption?!" Came Urd's horrified voice. "Are you certain?"

Keiichi blinked at her concern, and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, that is what she said her name was, did I say something wrong?"

Belldandy started toward Keiichi, but Urd placed a hand on her arm. She looked at her older sister, and saw her shake her head once. Urd stepped into the room, and circled around to Keiichi's right side. Her eyes narrowed as she gazed down upon the mortal. "Corruption, if you are in there, show yourself!"

Much to both of the Goddesses surprise, a small, pleasant looking female with bat-like wings emerged and floated above them. She grinned down at them. "Wow, Lady Hild said you were something else, but she didn't tell me that you had the power to actually call me forth! Amazing!"

Urd growled. "What are you doing here, Corruption? What is my mother having you do?"

Corruption ignored Urd for a moment, and floated toward Belldandy and hovered before her. She gave her a quick apprising glance up and down, and shook her head in disappointment. "My, my. Such a simple person, you really don't stand out too much. I wonder why Lady Hild shows such much interest in you. You don't come across as anything really special."

Belldandy blinked at the insult, but then smiled at the familiar. "Well, Corruption as you are here now, you are a guest. Is there anything I can get you?"

Corruption sniffed. "No. All I need is to be left alone with Keiichi, since I am his familiar after all."

Belldandy stiffened. Familiar? She remembered that Dia had a familiar, as it was custom to those that have demon blood-

"What did Lady Hild do to Keiichi when he was with her? Did she change him?"

Corruption yawned in feigned boredom, and waved Belldandy's question away. "She didn't do that much, she just, 'improved' him. Made him better."

Belldandy's face darkened. "Made him better, how?"

Corruption grinned, and floated to within an inch of Belldandy's face. She lightly poked Belldandy in the chest, and enjoyed the shudder from the goddess. "Questions, questions, so many questions! You will soon see for yourself, and I bet Keiichi will thank Lady Hild for it, too."

Urd stood next to them, her face a mask of anger. "Why would he thank my mother for all the pain and suffering that she had heaped upon him? What could she possibly be thinking?"

Corruption rolled her eyes, and glanced at Keiichi. "All I know, is that I am his familiar, and I am to continue helping him reach his full potential."

Belldandy and Urd heard a gasp from the doorway. Skuld stood there, goggle-eyed at the demon familiar that floated in the room. She took one look at Keiichi, who looked almost frightened, and then back to the familiar. With a cry, she pulled out one of her 'Skuld bombs', and tossed it toward the familiar. "Take that, you evil thing!"

She threw the bomb toward the familiar. With a yawn, Corruption caught it without any effort. With just a flick of a finger, she disarmed it. She chucked it back toward the smaller goddess. "Are you quite through wasting my time? I have more important things to be tending to!" With one last wave of her arms, she vanished back into Keiichi, who looked positively ill.

Skuld looked down at her inert bomb, and then up at Belldandy. "What do we do now, big Sis? We can't just stand around and do nothing!"

Belldandy chewed her lip in thought, her brows furrowed in thought. "I don't know, Skuld. Corruption isn't some minor familiar who is just along for the ride, there is something…deeper, with her involved in this." She gazed at Keiichi, her face softened, and she smiled. "Despite all this, I am glad to see that you are back with us, Keiichi." She wiped away a few tears that threatened to spill. "I was so afraid that Hild was going to hurt you."

Keiichi stepped forward and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I remember bits of pieces of her doing something to me, but I don't remember the specifics." He shuddered. "Probably just as well, since I wake to find that I now have a hitch hiker inside my own body."

Belldandy smiled. "We will deal with that later, my Keiichi. Come, I just about have dinner done, I am sure that you are very famished."

Keiichi nodded, and walked toward Belldandy. She reached out toward him, and as he tried to take her hand, a several small bolts of electricity shot forth between their hands. Both yelped, and jumped back and rubbed their hands. The mortal looked down at his stinging hand, and then back at Belldandy. "Bell, what…what the hell was that?"

There was a giggle, and Corruption's head poked out of Keiichi's chest. "Just one of the many 'improvements' that were made for you, 'my' Keiichi. This is going to be fun!" She vanished back into Keiichi, and his face went ashen. "What the hell did they do to me?"

Belldandy still stared at her own hand, shock evident upon her gentle face. She looked up at Keiichi's worried face, and felt the tears as they finally released. "Come on, we…we need to go eat." She sobbed gently, and turned to leave.

Keiichi stepped forward. "Bell, I'm sorry."

Urd's face was incredulous. "What are you sorry for, Keiichi? You didn't do this, and I know you sure as hell didn't choose this. Come on, Belldandy is right, we need to get some food into you." She stepped forward, and gently took his arm and gently pulled him toward the door. With just a few steps she stopped, surprise upon her face. She looked down at her hand on Keiichi's arm, and saw that he too stared at her hand. Why hadn't there been the same thing that happened between Belldandy and Keiichi? Shouldn't she have been pushed away too?

A shadow passed over Belldandy's face, and she gently tugged Skuld to follow. "Come on, we…we should go eat."

XXX

Keiichi sat in his room, and stared at the wall. Dinner had proved to be a…awkward, affair. Bell barely spoke, and she didn't smile. Her brows remained furrowed the whole time, and she chewed on her lip a lot. He noticed that she did that when she was deep in thought, and it worried him. Would she decide to leave him now? Was she going to declare that their contract now was completely null and void, and go back to heaven? He shuddered at the thought. He loved Belldandy, and he didn't want to cause her any pain. A thought entered his mind. Maybe he should go away for a while, maybe give them some time to think of a way to fix this.

Keiichi snuck quietly out of his room, and stopped just outside the kitchen. He heard them talking quietly among themselves, so he knew that they wouldn't be paying as close attention outside the door. Quietly, he slipped past, and headed toward the main entrance of the temple. He fought the urge to whistle at the remains of some broken glass and pieces of ceramic that he passed. It looked like the remnants of a battle scene in places. Keiichi knew that there was a struggle that he put up when he was abducted, but it wasn't possible that the fight caused all this. Something else must have happened after his departure. Perhaps he would ask them about it when they figured this out.

The mortal rolled his precious Beemer out and away from the temple. He walked it down quite a bit of the road before he mounted it, and started her up. The old motorcycle growled to life. Well, at least he could still touch this old girl and make her purr. With a small smile, Keiichi adjusted his helmet, and gunned the engine. Until the goddesses figured things out, he was going to have to find somewhere he could temporarily setup. He headed toward Nekomi Tech, and figured he could ask one of them for temporary shelter.

XXX

"Just what the hell was that, Belldandy?" Urd began. "The last time we witnessed something like that was when your license was changed to that of a demon, and you tried to enter the mirror to go to heaven!"

Belldandy stared at the table. "I know, sis. I remember it, I was there." She stood up, and took several of the plates from the table. She took them to the sink, and began to wash them. "The obvious answer looks to be that Hild has changed Keiichi at least partially into a demon. I…I didn't think that was possible to do that to a mortal."

Urd's face darkened. "I came to the unfortunate conclusion long ago, Sis, that she can do anything she puts her evil mind to." She shook her head. "Why do this though? Is she doing this to make you miserable, Bell? It just really doesn't make much sense."

Skuld drummed her fingers on the tabletop. "When do sense and Keiichi go together in the same sentence?"

Belldandy whirled around. "Don't say that, Skuld! Keiichi is an innocent in this! He did nothing to earn your scorn!"

Skuld looked down at the table and sighed. "I'm sorry, Big Sis. I just keep thinking he is going to take you away from me!"

Belldandy's face softened. "Skuld, I am here for you. Keiichi is very special to me though, and I want you to please respect that. Just because I love him, doesn't mean that I don't love you, or want to be around you, Skuld."

Skuld sighed. "I know, Big Sis. It just seems that Keiichi causes so much trouble!"

Belldandy shook her head. "No Skuld, he doesn't cause the trouble. Usually, it is something related with us that causes the trouble. He is caught in the middle of it." She smiled. "He never complains though, and he always takes whatever happens in stride. Keiichi is one of the few mortals I have ever met that is so genuinely optimistic."

Urd smirked. "You mean he is one of the few mortals that is pig-headed enough to put up with all the bullshit that happens around here. He even puts up with all of the kid's 'toys' that she comes up with."

Skuld's eyes flashed with anger. "I am not a kid, you old hag!"

Urd rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Heard that one before, kiddo." She got up from the table and stretched. "If everything is done here, I will go check things out with Keiichi before I go check my potion stocks."

Skuld fumed as Belldandy nodded. "Okay, Sis. Please let Keiichi know that I want to talk to him in a little bit."

Urd nodded, and headed out of the kitchen. She pulled the door shut, and stopped. Something wasn't right, and she felt it. She headed toward Keiichi's room, and stood outside of it. "Keiichi?" She said quietly. "Is it alright if I come in?"

No answer. Urd's brows furrowed in puzzlement. Maybe he hadn't heard her? She knocked gently on the door frame. No answer again. She felt a bit worried now, and threw caution to the wind and slid open his door. She stood in the doorway, her eyes narrowed as she glanced around.

Empty. Urd came into the room and looked quickly around, and noticed that the keys to his motorcycle were gone. Her eyes widened. Oh Shit! He left the temple!

XXX

Belldandy just finished placing the last of the dishes up, when the door to the kitchen slid open. She smiled and looked at the doorway, then frowned at the look Urd had. "Sis, what's-"

"Keiichi's gone, Belldandy! His keys for the Beemer are missing!"


	15. Chapter 14-Lacrimosa

_Author's Note: My apologies on taking so long to get new chapters out. Once again, I find myself split between numerous projects, some completely for fun, others are more serious. I currently have three projects in the works, and hope to get one of the two serious ones published before the year is out. As always though, time will tell. I do wish to thank all of you again that have favorited, followed, and sent words of encouragement/constructive criticisms my direction. I have a thank you for K1 X Bell, as it was good to hear a fantastic peer criticism from you, especially since I know that the whole Keiichi/Urd pairing isn't your favorite. To everyone else, I wanted to let you know one thing about this story; I am not going to kill off Bell, or anything that drastic. I am a fan of Bell, and I couldn't do that to her. ;) On with the story!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own AMG, or any of their wonderful characters that exist in that loveable, and quirky universe._

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter Fourteen

Lacrimosa

Buddhist Temple. Nekomi, Japan

"Why did you run away, daddy?"

Keiichi blinked at the unexpected interruption of his story. His little girl looked up at him, her head cocked in curiosity. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Urd gazed at him with her arms folded across her chest and a knowing grin. "Yeah, why did you run away you brave man?"

Keiichi blushed. "Ah, come on! No ganging up on poor defenseless me!" His wife's eyebrow was arched in good-humor. "It was a valid question you know. Curious minds want to know!"

Keiichi sighed in resignation. "I guess I just needed to get away for a while. I had to think about how things were going with my life." His gaze grew distant for just a moment. "I wasn't sure what I was supposed to think or feel. I just got back from a 'vacation' with Hild and her associates. I guess I also wanted to see if anyone truly cared enough to follow me."

Beyla pursed her lips. "I still don't understand, daddy. You are always so brave!"

Keiichi laughed. "Dear heart, there are times when we all feel fear. Sometimes, we do a better job standing up to our fears then others. I was at a pretty raw period in my life, and I was still hurting and confused by new thoughts and feelings that swirled about in my head. Truly, it still doesn't make much sense to me all these years later when I think about it."

Urd nodded. "Please, continue."

XXX

Seven years before

Nekomi Tech

The twilight sun was quite weak and faded by the time Keiichi finally arrived at Nekomi Tech. He still hadn't the faintest idea how or where he was going to spend the night. While it was true he had a key to the workshop, he didn't savor the idea of spending the night in there. With a heavy sigh, he finally pulled up to the nearly deserted parking lot. He shut off the motor while he unfastened his helmet. Maybe all he needed was just to take a walk away from everyone and clear his head. Keiichi placed his helmet in the sidecar, and took off toward the center of the campus.

XXX

Mara was so bloody bored. Ever since her last failed plan, Lady Hild made it quite apparent that her presence wasn't desired in Niflheim. So, here she sat in a tree and drummed her fingers in bliss-less boredom. None of the mortals that attended the dull school below ever caught her attention the whole day. There was only one mortal that proved worthy of her time, but he was always at that cursed temple. That sickeningly sweet Belldandy always made her skin crawl. Mara would have loved to trade insults again with Urd, but it wasn't worth getting close to all those charms. She sighed heavily, and punched the tree in frustration.

"Mistress? If I may?"

Mara glared at Senbee in annoyance. "What is it? Ready to increase my unhappiness to feed your good humor?"

The diminutive 'god of disaster' grinned from ear to ear. He pointed toward the central yard. "Is that the human that you like to play with?"

The demon rolled her eyes. She followed where he pointed, and her brow quirked. It indeed was Keiichi Morisato whom walked alone in the grass. Mara's eyes narrowed as she watched him. She didn't see any of those annoying goddesses with him. She smiled evilly, her fang poked out under her lip. If he was by himself, then she could have herself some fun. She glanced toward her miniature companion. "You sense any of those annoying goddesses around here?"

Senbee bounced up and down excitedly before her. "No mistress, they aren't here, yet. But you can figure that they will be around here soon. They can't seem to let their pet mortal stray too far with his leash."

Mara nodded. "Actually, he seems more likely to have a choke collar. Let's see what we can do to delay the annoyances until after we have our fun!"

Senbee did a loop-de-loop in his excitement. "Of course, mistress!"

XXX

Keiichi felt the breeze as it tickled his hair and skin. At first, he didn't think too much about it. Now that the sun was centimeters from setting, it was natural for the temperature to drop. He was puzzled though when he glanced toward the trees. They stood motionless, not a speck of the breeze even affecting them. He shivered when he felt an especially strong blast of her on the back of his neck. Keiichi rubbed his neck. Nothing special there. Maybe he should pick up the pace just a little bit. It wasn't all that far from the shed, maybe if he just-

"Good Evening, mortal. Tell me, what brings Belldandy's pet human here without their protection, hmmmm?"

Keiichi's eyes widened in surprise. He knew that voice only too well. He sighed loudly as he turned around. He looked up at the blonde demon who floated about ten feet above him. He rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. "What do you want, Mara? I really am not in the mood for this."

Mara's eyes narrowed in annoyance. He already dismissed her as if she was nothing! "So, what happens if I AM in the mood for this?"

Keiichi shook his head and turned around again. "I am not going to play with you, Mara. I have more important things to think about."

Mara's mouth dropped in utter shock. No one had ever dismissed her so rudely before! No one ever dared before this mortal! Her mouth snapped closed, and she snarled. "You will pay for that, mortal!"

Ordinarily, Keiichi wouldn't have been so rude or blunt. There was much more on his mind right now. So when the blast struck behind him and hurled him through the air, he was quite surprised as his world turned upside-down.

XXX

Buddhist Temple.

Belldandy's head jerked up in surprise. She felt Keiichi was in serious trouble! Urd and Skuld looked at her. "What is it?" They asked in unison.

"Keiichi is in danger! Quickly, we must get to Nekomi Tech!"

Belldandy headed to a mirror, and rapidly spoke her normal incantation to travel through the mirror. Much to her surprise, the mirror didn't respond to her. Her brows furrowed in puzzlement. She must have been so excited she didn't say it right. Belldandy spoke it once more, but it gave the same results as the first time. She blinked. Why wasn't it working? She looked at Urd. "Grab Skuld and get Stringfellow. I will go on ahead of you!"

Urd nodded, and she and Skuld were off in a flash. Belldandy ran toward the front door, and slid it open hard enough to knock it off its rails. Without a second thought, she took off into the sky, and prayed to the Almighty that she wasn't too late.

XXX

Nekomi Tech

Keiichi coughed hard, and picked himself up painfully from the ground. He knew that there would soon be fresh bruises to join the older ones that still hadn't faded. He jumped away and rolled just in time to avoid another blast. The mortal was dusted by the clods of dirt and debris released from the impact crater. He gazed wide-eyed up at Mara. "Are you crazy? You could have killed me!"

Mara was furious. "That, was the idea! With you dead, Belldandy and the others will have no reason to stay on this insignificant dirtball!"

_Move it Keiichi!_

Keiichi nodded at the voice in his head. Without thinking, he again dove out of the way of Mara's next fireball. Quick as a flash, he was up and ran as fast as his legs would carry him. To his surprise, he noticed that he ran faster than he ever had before. He also wasn't winded. How in the name of hell was this even possible? There was no way he could run this fast without problems before!

_Remember, Keiichi, you have been changed. Time to put some of those new abilities to the test. My first recommendation is to run like hell._

He grunted in acknowledgement as he ran in a zigzag. Keiichi heard Mara's cries of frustration as she missed time and time again. He grinned. Maybe this wasn't going to be as hard as he thought.

_Oh, don't get cocky! It won't matter how advanced you are if you get blown up! Now move it! I don't plan to join the unemployed!_

Keiichi rolled his eyes as he hauled ass. He ducked under an archway, and grinned as he heard the sound of a body that solidly hit the archway behind him. That should buy him a few moments, which was all he really needed. Quickly, he made it to the NIT Motor Club shed. He unlocked it and jumped inside. He pulled the door closed and locked it in one smooth motion. He ducked beneath the windows and exhaled. With some luck the demon wouldn't find him. All he had to do now was just wait until Mara moved on. Or, Belldandy and the others arrived. He was certain they would be here soon-

"It will be a bit of time before they arrive here, Keiichi Morisato. I have altered this place so that we will not be disturbed until we have a chance to talk."

Keiichi whirled around. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the dark. In the center of the shop stood a pretty, petite, red-haired woman. She was dressed very much like Belldandy had been when he first met her. She wore a simple white full-figured gown and matching hairpiece. The earrings that dangled from her ears looked like the sun and crescent moon. The woman had a friendly, but sad face. As she stepped toward him, the dim outside light made her grey eyes shiny. It didn't take but a few seconds for it to register in Keiichi's mind what she must be.

"You are another goddess from heaven, aren't you?"

The morose goddess nodded, and smiled sadly. "Yes, Keiichi Morisato. I am a goddess that you are not familiar in person with, but have felt the power of my presence since you were a little boy. I have many names given to me over the centuries, but the name that you are the most familiar with is Destiny."

Keiichi frowned at her. "I don't understand. Why would I know you or have felt anything from you? I am just a simple mortal!"

She stepped forward again and shook her head. "No, Keiichi Morisato. You are not just a simple mortal. There are much grander plans that were laid out for you long before you were even born."

He shook his head in denial. "No, I am just a simple mortal! There wouldn't be a reason for me to be any different!"

Destiny stepped forward, and gently placed a hand on his cheek. Keiichi shut his eyes and prepared himself for what was sure to be a shock that would hurl Destiny away. After a few seconds, he opened up his eyes and stared at the goddess in puzzlement. "How come you are okay? When Belldandy touched me, it was like we stepped on a live wire!"

To Keiichi's surprise, Destiny cried silently before him. Tears ran down her gentle face, and splashed upon the ground. She gave him an apologetic look. "I apologize for this, Keiichi." She leaned forward and gently gave him a kiss upon the lips. She stood away from him. "I won't lie and say it is going to be easy for you. There will be many trials and temptations placed before you, Keiichi Morisato. I can't tell you anything more. It is beyond me and firmly within the hands of the Fates and the Almighty." She smiled gently. "No matter what happens, I will still be watching over and guiding you."

Keiichi blinked in confusion. "Destiny, um, wait. Please."

Destiny stepped away from him. She paused and gave him a knowing look. "I'm sorry, Keiichi. You seek knowledge that I am not permitted to grant to any mortal. All I can tell you, is to trust your instincts. Trust your friends." She winked at him. "Trust the love that is freely granted to you, no matter where it comes from."

"No, wait!" Keiichi began. It was in vain though, as Destiny had already vanished. He shook his head in bewilderment. This still didn't make any sense to him. He was no further on the path of understanding then he had been ten minutes before. He sighed. Now what?

_There are things at play Keiichi that you are best not knowing about._

Keiichi growled at the voice in his head. "All I am is just more confused than ever! How is all this going to help me out?"

He felt Corruption's annoyance. _Keiichi, you are just going to have to trust us!_

He snorted. "Trust you? I was made an unwilling host for you to begin with!"

Corruption floated out before him, her hands on her tiny hips. "You still think I am such a bad thing?"

Keiichi rolled his eyes. "Um, you are named 'Corruption' for a reason, remember?"

The familiar huffed. "You are going to hold my name as the reason you are unhappy with me? Are you kidding me?" She flew behind him and slapped the back of his head. "Get with it! It wasn't an accident that I am joined to you, Keiichi! Don't you think Destiny would have said something if I was so bad?"

Keiichi rubbed the back of his head. "Sheesh! Did you have to smack me so hard?"

Corruption smiled diplomatically. "There are times when it seems the only way to knock some sense into you is via the side of your head! Really, with everything that is going on, shouldn't I be the least of your concerns?"

Keiichi grudgingly sighed and nodded once. "Fine. One day, you will have to tell me what the hell is going on. I hate being left in the dark."

Corruption beamed at him. "Of course, master! I will indeed tell you everything one day! Scout's Honor!"

Keiichi groaned and face-palmed. "You were never a scout, Corruption!"

"You catch on quick! Good boy! If you are real good, I might find you a treat somewhere around here…"

XXX

Mara rubbed her nose and blinked. She was so intent on catching the mortal that she hadn't watched where she went. Face-planting into the archway wasn't how she intended to end the chase with Keiichi. It hadn't helped that Senbee laughed his ass off at her misfortune. She was tempted to flick his little ass into a wall, but last time she tried something like that he was not overly kind to her. She still thought it was his fault that she was black-balled from hell. Maybe if she wrapped up her business with the mortal, she could go-

Her head jerked up as she felt the proximity of three goddesses. Not just any goddesses, but THEM. She growled in frustration. Chasing that mortal without any interference was hard enough. Mara didn't need this frustration to go with it. Her quarry escaped her grasp, but there wasn't anything more she could do. With one last raised fist toward the heavens, she vanished in a cloud of purple-black smoke.

XXX

Destiny sat upon the shed's roof. She blinked as she wiped away her tears. This was truly the hardest assignment ever handed to her. She would see it through though, both for his sake and her own. A popping sound behind her told her that she had company. She had a small smile. "Good Evening, Lady Hild. I have been expecting you."

Hild grunted and sat down on the roof next to Destiny. "I really hate it when you do that." She lightly growled.

Destiny glanced at Hild. "So, what brings you here?"

The Queen of Niflheim crossed her arms and sighed in exasperation. "Just wanting things to hurry up and get moving! You know I am not exactly a patient person!"

Destiny shook her head. "I would never have guessed it, Lady Hild."

Hild grumbled slightly. "Well, how soon until the fireworks start! I haven't seen Keiichi making any inroads with my daughter yet!"

Destiny smile turned melancholy as she gazed up at the night sky. "Soon enough, Lady Hild." She shook her head as Hild vanished again. "You still have no idea what part even you will play, Hild. What parts we all will play."


	16. Chapter 15-Loyalty

_Disclaimer: I do not own AMG or any of the loveable characters contained within its tomes of knowledge or any other format. ;)_

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter Fifteen

Loyalty

Nekomi Tech. Nekomi, Japan

Belldandy landed quickly on the concrete. It was strange that there was something that blocked her ability to directly pinpoint where her Keiichi was. Now that she was here at Nekomi Tech, it was as though a veil was lifted from her senses. She now felt his aura here, though what she saw still gave rise to fear. There were several craters interspaced every so few feet. Whatever it was that attacked him had meant serious bodily harm to her Keiichi. She shook her head in frustration. If she ever caught the culprit that tried to hurt her Keiichi, she wasn't going to be very kind to them.

"Belldandy!"

She gazed up as Urd and Skuld descended from above on Stringfellow. They touched down, and Urd waved it aside. Her eyes widened at the sight of so many blast craters. "Damn! Someone sure wanted Keiichi sent to the afterlife on the express trip." She glanced around the area. "Where is he?"

Belldandy nodded toward the club buildings. "I have felt that he is over there somewhere near the storage shed. I will go check on him, please check around to make sure everything is clear."

Urd nodded, and gently tugged Skuld with her. When they left, Belldandy quickly and quietly made her way toward the club's storage shed. She eyed the roof of the shed. There were remnants of two very powerful beings that had been there until very recently. One of them felt very familiar, and very dark. It could only belong to Lady Hild. The other one though, wasn't known to her. It felt sad, but before she could sense anything else of the aura it finally dissipated. She shrugged, and headed toward the door.

When Belldandy opened the door, she hadn't expected the greasy rag that was flung into her face. She pulled it away, and found Keiichi as he scrambled quickly to hide behind some decrepit boxes. "Keiichi?" She called to him, her brows furrowed with concern.

He stopped, and turned toward her. "Bell!" He gently whispered. "I am so glad to see you!" He rushed toward her, but then found an energy field placed in the way before him. He slammed hard into it, and then it reciprocated his action and shoved him backward onto his ass. He groaned for a moment, and found that Corruption now floated in the air between Belldandy and himself. Her hands were on her hips and she shook her head. "Wow, you have a real short memory, Keiichi! You want to experience flight without a pair of wings again?"

Keiichi glared at Corruption for a moment before he sighed with resignation. "Fine." He grumbled. He painfully got himself up, and dusted himself off. He smiled sheepishly at Belldandy. "I am glad to see you, Bell! You don't know just how happy I am to see you here."

Belldandy smiled at him in relief. "Me too, my Keiichi! We really need to get you back to the temple." Her smile fell a little, and her eyes looked down. "Why did you leave? What happened to you? Was it something I did?"

Keiichi blinked at her. "Something you did? By the Almighty, Belldandy! You did nothing wrong at all! I was worried that I would cause a problem there, so I left to clear my head." He scratched the back of his head. "Of course, I hadn't counted on Mara coming after me like she did. She was really angry about something, I think she wanted me dead."

Belldandy's face clouded over. "Mara did all this damage? Did she say why she was attacking you?"

Keiichi looked at her in concern. "Yeah. She said that if I was dead, then you, Urd, and Skuld wouldn't have a reason to be here on Earth anymore." He chuckled. "Of course, that was also before I had the opportunity to have met Destiny."

Belldandy whipped back to him, her eyes wide. "Destiny was here? Keiichi, what did she tell you?"

Keiichi scratched his head again. "I don't really understand much of it, Belldandy. She talked about I had many hard trials ahead of me. She claimed that I have some kind of special destiny before me. Truly, it was stuff I didn't really understand." He glared accusingly toward Corruption. "She knows something about all this, but of course she won't tell me, either."

Belldandy chewed her lip in thought. No wonder she hadn't recognized the aura of the other person that had been up on the roof. In all her time in heaven, she never met Destiny face-to-face. If she appeared before Keiichi and spoke to him, it was going to be either be a very good, or very bad sign. At the very least, it would indeed be life changing for him. She gestured toward the door as she smiled again. "Come on, Keiichi. We should head back."

"Is that a good idea though for me to go back to the temple?"

"Hai," Belldandy started. "We can figure more of this out if do this together." She smirked. "Besides, it makes it easier to keep you safe."

Keiichi blushed with embarrassment. "Ah, come on Bell! Give a guy a break! I was only wanting to take a walk and clear my head! It wasn't like I was looking for that skirmish with Mara!"

Belldandy smiled as Urd and Skuld ran up. She nodded toward them. "Well, we now have Keiichi back. I would say it is time to head back to the temple, wouldn't you say?"

Keiichi caught the quick smile of relief on Urd's lips before it changed to her usual smirk. "Well Keiichi, I see that you decided to have some fun without us. So tell me, who was your playmate? One of Skuld's out of control 'toys' again?"

Skuld growled as she looked up at her oldest sister. "They are not toys! They are serious projects to help Big Sis!"

Urd yawned and waved her comment away. "Yeah, whatever. Come on, I have a fresh bottle of sake that has my name on it back at the temple."

XXX

Buddhist Temple

Keiichi yawned as he walked his beloved Beemer into its normal parking spot. It really had been quite the exciting night. He would have considered it a busy day with just Mara taking pot shots at him. What the hell was he supposed to do about what Destiny told him? Was she hinting to him that there was something wrong with his and Belldandy's relationship? No, it couldn't be. If The Almighty himself didn't have a problem with Belldandy and him being together, why would Destiny have any issues with it?

_Sometimes, Keiichi, there are more things at work behind the scenes of the many stages of life that you don't have a clue about._

Keiichi set the blocks down before his tires, and leaned up against his motorcycle. He pulled his helmet off and tossed it into the sidecar. It was strange, he only had Corruption in him for a little while, and he was already used to her just chirping in whenever she had something to say. He shook his head. He supposed that living with three Goddesses for so long had desensitized him to lots of the strange goings-on around here.

_You can thank that fact, Keiichi. Many people in your situation would have run screaming into the night without a backward glance._

He watched as Corruption appeared out of thin air before him again. He sighed and lowered his face into the palm of his right hand. "What is it that you want, Corruption? Why did Hild have you of all of the beings from Hell placed within me? Why does Hild feel that she needs to interfere with my life again and again? What did I do that she hates me so much?"

Corruption gave Keiichi a sharp look, but then relented. "Maybe I should ask you something, Keiichi." She began softly. "Why do you dislike me so much? Why do you want me removed so badly? Have I offended you in some way? Or, am I really that unpleasant to look at?"

Keiichi's head popped up, and he stared at Corruption in surprise. She looked away from him, a shade of red upon her cheeks. He sighed, and with a small smile he reached over and tousled her hair. "Hey!" She squeaked as he laughed. He looked at her seriously. "No, Corruption, you are not unpleasant to look at. I just worry about this situation is all. Hild had me changed, and then stuck me with a demon familiar. She is trying to drive me away from Belldandy, isn't she?"

Corruption gave Keiichi puppy-dog eyes. "Aw, Keiichi, you know that I can't tell you anything about what Lady Hild wants! I honestly don't know!" She pouted. "I am NOT a demon familiar! I am just a familiar! If you want to insult me Keiichi, at least get it right!"

Keiichi held his hands up. "Alright, alright. I am sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. You have to admit though, with a name like 'Corruption', I am expecting bad things to happen because of you."

Corruption gave Keiichi a serious look. "Keiichi, I would not do anything to harm you, or allow you to come to harm. That was the bargain I made with Lady Hild."

Keiichi blinked, then his eyes narrowed. "Of course, you still won't tell me what it is all about though, will you?"

Corruption smiled, shook her head, and then vanished right back into Keiichi. He sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Guess I am stuck with you, then."

_Damn right you are! Oh, Keiichi?_

Keiichi headed toward the temple. "Yeah?" _What do you think of Urd?_ He hesitated for a second, and then blushed. "She, um, she is pretty racy, but I do like her." He thought back to the dream he awoke from earlier. Did it have anything to do with what was in store for him?

XXX

Nekomi Tech

"Damn it! I almost had him!" Mara growled. She sat again on the branch she used as her stake out from earlier. She punched the tree again hard with her frustration, and created a matching hole next to her earlier one. "I can't believe he got away from me so easily! How the hell did he manage to move with such speed? He is just a lowly insignificant human!"

Senbee flipped into a loop-de-loop in his excitement. "I do not know, mistress, but it was a sight to see! Ooh La La! The misfortune of the moment has fed my happiness!"

Mara glared at the little man, and flicked him into the tree. She smiled in satisfaction as he left an impression into the tree. "There, maybe that will knock some sense into you!"

Senbee pulled himself out of the tree, and whipped a hand through his hair. "Oh, so mistress wants to play that way, does she? Well!" He gave an evil grin and ran his finger across the branch. Without any effort, the limb gave way. Mara had a split second before she fell twenty feet toward the ground. After hitting two other branches, she finally hit the ground face first. With a groan, she looked up at the little man. "Senbee, so help me-"

"Quite an entrance there, Mara. I take it you were expecting me?"

Mara's eyes widened in shock. She knew that voice! She scrambled up off the ground, and found Lady Hild stood there leaned up against the tree. Mara brushed herself off and stood at attention. "Lady Hild! What are you doing here on Earth?"

Lady Hild moved faster than Mara could track. Suddenly, Hild slapped Mara, hard. The blonde demon flew across the courtyard and slammed into another tree. With a groan, she slowly dropped to the ground. Dazed, she looked up and saw a very angry Lady Hild. Mara cowered in fear. Her hand went up to where Hild slapped her. "Lady Hild! Why? What did I do to deserve that?"

Hild glared contemptuously at the blonde demon. "Fool!" She hissed. "If I had wanted the mortal Keiichi dead, I would have done that ages ago when I had him down with me in Niflheim!"

Mara's eyes widened. "You, had him in Niflheim? Why?"

Hild reached forward and grabbed Mara by the throat. She hauled the blonde demon up, and slammed her into the tree. "I do not have to explain myself to you, demon. There are serious plans in the works that pertain to that dear boy." Her face now was mere inches from Mara's. "So help me, Mara." Hild grinned unpleasantly at her. "If you so much as touch that boy again, there are things that I will do to you in Niflheim that will make anything else you have suffered feel like a love fest."

Without warning, Lady Hild threw Mara over her shoulder. She landed in the bushes behind them with a loud crash. Hild turned toward where the blond demon rubbed her butt. "Remember what I said, Mara. You so much as touch him again, and you will regret it for the rest of your existence! Am I clear?"

Mara groaned, and nodded weakly. "Yes, Lady Hild!"

Hild started to walk away, then stopped. She turned slightly. "Oh, Mara dear? You may want to go have Cerberus take a look at that. Looks like it might be quite a nasty bump."

Mara's eyes widened again in undisguised fear. "Y-yes, Lady Hild!" She stammered.

XXX

Destiny watched the exchange between Mara and Lady Hild with interest. She shook her head as things wrapped up. _Hild, how you employ such violence! It is good to see that you have accepted your role in how things must go. However, Lady Hild you can be so brutal! It is so…unladylike!_ She mentally sighed as she walked around from behind a tree. She saw all the destruction heaped upon the area of Nekomi Tech. Well, if they wouldn't clean up their own messes it looked like it was up to her again.

As she walked the campus, Destiny used her powers to repair the damages caused by both Mara and Lady Hild. She hummed while she worked, it was an old tune that she was so fond of. It was one she heard several centuries ago when she visited a wonderful composer while she visited the court in Salzburg. His fascination with her stirred his heart and he composed some of his best pieces of music. She smiled at the recollection of his child-like wonder while he created such wonderful music. No matter what anyone else would say, Mozart held a special spot within her heart.

Destiny finally repaired all the damage wrought upon it. She floated to the roof of the shed again, and looked up toward the sky. _Keiichi. You have such loyalty and devotion to Belldandy. How strong though are you really? Will you still be able to face the trials that are coming your way without her at your side? Will you be able to place your trust and love with another?_ She shook her head and flicked a hand through her hair. _Urd, will you really be able to drop your guard and finally be able to reveal the hurting woman underneath? You and Keiichi will work well together, and need each other. I am not the only one who saw that, either._

With one last glance around, Destiny vanished in a puff of music notes.


	17. Chapter 16-Plots

_Author's Note: My apologies on the delays to updating this story. Finally had to say 'enough is enough', and quit one of my projects. So now I have reduced my writing load to three projects now, instead of four. Amazing what happens when there are several stories at any given time that float around in one's head sometimes._

_Disclaimer: I do not own in any shape or form Ah! My Goddess, or any of the wonderfully memorable characters from that universe. I only own the ones that I created and imported in. :)_

Ah! My Goddess: The Lacrimosa of Destiny

Chapter Sixteen

Plots

Somewhere in Niflheim

Lady Hild drummed her fingers in irritation upon her throne's armrest. Her plans were finally set into motion, and she even had Destiny's 'seal of approval' to proceed with Keiichi and her daughter be together. So what was the damn problem? Why the hell couldn't they hurry up and get past all the fluff and bullshit and finally get together?

It was one stupid impediment after another. First thing was that charmingly naïve idiot Belldandy tried to sic that demon half-breed from an alternate universe upon her. Then her own underling, Mara, tried to kill Keiichi right in front of the entire world practically! She sighed heavily with growing frustration. Maybe that would be end of the problems, and things would finally kick back into gear!

"My Lady? Er, if you have a moment."

Hild's eyes flashed in annoyance as they settled upon the new speaker. "I trust you have something significant to report? If not, I hope that you are ready to breathe underwater for the next decade as a Koi in a little fishpond."

The underling gulped heavily and nodded his head. "Yes, Lady Hild. We have heard from your spy placed in heaven that Belldandy's hearing is going to be tomorrow, earth time. She will stand before the council and explain her actions pertaining to the trip to the alternate universe."

Hild grinned as she clapped her hands once. "Well, that is indeed good news!" She winked at the underling. "I guess you won't have to worry about being in a fishpond, after all." She stood up from her throne and paced in front of it. "Whom are they bringing down to earth for the escort up to heaven?"

The underling lost a bit of his nervousness since he knew he wouldn't be a fish anymore. "The Valkyrie leader will be one of the entourage, as will that annoyingly prissy French goddess, too."

Hild rolled her eyes in remembrance. She had the unhappy misfortune to be stuck with Peorth in an elevator once. By the time the ride was finally over, she wanted nothing more than to bang that other woman's head into a wall and throttle her until she finally shut up. "Fantastic. So long as that idiot is going to be part of the escort service, she won't be staying at the temple." An idea rolled into her mind. "Hmmmm, what about the runty sister? Is she going up there too?"

Her underling nodded. "Yes, my Lady, she is. They consider her role in the matter smaller, but she did assist Belldandy with the computer search to find that half-breed."

Hild's smile faded. Uh oh. If they were going to be punishing everyone who was involved with that…"What about my darling Urd? What are they going to do with her?"

The Underling looked nervous again. He shuffled in place for a moment until Lady Hild's foot tapped the floor. He glanced up at her, doing his best to look like a beaten puppy. "They aren't even going to give her a hearing, my Lady. They have already decided that she will be banished to earth, and will have to stay there until they decided she has served the time long enough."

Hild's nostrils flared in anger. While it was somewhat good news, since she was indeed going to be staying on earth. What didn't escape her was the fact that she wasn't even graced with so much as a decent hearing really pissed her off. "Why the hell not? Do they think my daughter isn't good enough for them? Do they really think so little of her as to insult her like this?"

The Underling backed up a step. He saw firsthand what happened when someone was the recipient of Hild's unbridled anger. The ash piles left behind were proof enough. He wasn't sure he was covered under the doublet system, and didn't want to test it. "I don't know, your Ladyship as to why. The spy doesn't know, either. Won't it make it easier for your plans though if it is this way?"

Hild's foot tapped in rhythm to the Underling's heartbeat, which he realized definitely had sped up in the last couple of seconds. He gulped as her eyes bored holes into him. He supposed that being in a Koi pond wouldn't be so bad after all, it would be much better than being an ash pile, or something else that she could think of. He closed his eyes and waited for the transformation, he just hoped it wasn't too painful. A sound caused him to open his eyes in bewilderment.

Lady Hild laughed heartily. She clapped her hands again as she grinned at him. "Oh, you are a fun one! I will definitely have to keep you around! You have some balls! Good to know that not all of my underlings come pre-neutered." She chewed on her lip in thought. "Well, you know, perhaps it will indeed be easier if she is indeed there." She walked up to her throne and sat down again. "Tell me, is Eliazer Youchi still around? Or did he head back to earth?"

The Underling blinked at her. The Soul-Stealer? Why in the name of Niflheim? "Er, yes, he is indeed still around here, your Ladyship. I think he was down in the third circle doing some kind of research or something."

Hild giggled and grinned. "Excellent! Do be a good underling and go fetch Eliazer. Tell him the 'Mama Hild' has an assignment for him."

The Underling gulped and nodded nervously. So, his choices now were to spend the rest of his life as a Koi in a fishpond, or fetch one of the scariest creatures here in Niflheim? He suddenly wanted to know what kind of food they usually fed those Koi, and if it was any good…

XXX

Eliazer Youchi was not used to being disturbed. He came down to the third circle of Niflheim to carry out his research. Souls always fascinated him, and since he was here in Niflheim there were plenty of tormented souls to experiment with. He grinned, his broken teeth glinted in the dim light. It was a true art to extracting a soul, but even more so to make it so painful as to leave the anguish imprinted upon the soul. He enjoyed giving pain, and the great Eliazer was one of the best at the art. He came to a mutually beneficial partnership with Lady Hild. She provided the souls he needed, and he in turn did jobs for her. It worked quite well for him.

Something that radiated fear and nervousness suddenly appeared unbidden within Eliazer's realm. He was already annoyed. He hated it when they stank of fear before he even touched them. It ruined his whole experience. He turned, and saw to his disappointment it wasn't another soul in which to experiment with. It was one of Lady Hild's whipping posts from up above. It usually meant a job though, so perhaps she was going to offer him what he most desired. To harvest another worthy soul to add to his collection. He nonchalantly waved toward the new arrival. "Speak your piece, and be gone."

The new arrival swallowed once, and licked his lips. It irritated Eliazer as it reminded him of a frog. "Um, Master Youchi? Lady Hild requests your presence."

Eliazer's ear perked up at the term 'Master Youchi'. He rather liked that, maybe he would leave this new one alone. At least for now. "Yes, yes. Tell her Ladyship that I will be along in just a few moments." He paused, and evil grin spread upon his lips. "Of course, if you wish to remain down here, you can look for that one soul of mine that escaped-"

Gone. The messenger was already long vanished out of the realm. Well, they were indeed smarter these days. Perhaps in a 'survival of the fittest' kind of way. Perhaps they kept noticing all the ones sent to fetch him that hadn't returned. Ah, well. Perhaps the good Lady of Niflheim would satisfy his desire for a worthy soul.

XXX

"So, Eliazer. Will you do this for me? Is this a worthy enough challenge for a Soul-Stealer such as yourself?"

Eliazer grinned evilly at Lady Hild. This was why he served the Lady of Niflheim. Truly, she was just as evil as he was. If it wasn't because she had the power to turn him to dust, he would love to see what her soul looked like. Instead, she indeed gave him a worthy challenge. "Yes, Lady Hild. I see time and time again why you are the ruler of Niflheim. Truly, you have no equal." He nodded his head. "Yes indeed, this is worthy challenge for me. I am curious though, Lady Hild about something…"

Lady Hild sat forward on her throne. She placed her chin on her hands as she looked at him. "Ok, shoot."

He cocked his head. "Why can't I keep her soul? Why do you want me to take the guise of a doll maker, and place her soul in there?"

Lady Hild grinned evilly. "Because, my dear Eliazer. I wish to have her soul under my own thumb. She is a special case to me, Soul-Stealer. When my little Urdy finally gets married to that Keiichi, I plan to place that doll with her soul onto the same shelf with the picture of my Urd and her Keiichi married. There, she can stare at it and enjoy it for all eternity." She cocked her head. "Or, until they give me a good enough offer to take her back. Maybe I will eventually be able to trade her for a pair of gorgons. They are always good for a laugh or two."

Eliazer wasn't completely thrilled, but this time it would merely be the challenge of collecting her soul. While she might not be his to collect, he could still make it as painful for her as possible. Maybe the pain would be great enough to actually satisfy him. Of course, if she was in constant pain with Lady Hild's plan, he was all for it. _I don't know much about this 'Belldandy', but if this is what Lady Hild wants, then so be it!_

XXX

Buddhist Temple, Nekomi, Japan

Belldandy looked in on Keiichi as he finally slept peacefully. He was so exhausted that he passed out moments after his head hit his pillow. Poor Keiichi had been through so much since he awoke from his experiences in Niflheim. Whatever Hild had done to him down there, and then Mara trying to kill him up here definitely taxed her Keiichi's mental limits. With a small smile, she finally shut his door quietly and left him to sleep.

Urd came up the hallway and met Belldandy outside of Keiichi's room. She was greatly distressed, and since she just got off the phone with heaven, Bell had a pretty good idea about why she was not too happy. "Belldandy, I need to talk to you, if you have a moment."

Belldandy wearily nodded, and followed her older sister toward the kitchen. When they got there, Bell shut the door behind her. She headed toward the tea cupboard. "Would you like some tea, Sis?"

Urd nodded. "Yeah, Belldandy, that would be really taste good right about now."

As the tea brewed, Belldandy sat down with Urd at the table. Bell looked at her sister with an eyebrow raised. Urd just stared at the tabletop. "Urd, what's wrong? I haven't seen you this quiet in a long time."

"That was Peorth whom I got off the phone with just a few moments ago. They will be here to collect you and Skuld tomorrow morning for the hearing."

Belldandy nodded sadly. "I knew that the time for my hearing was bound to come soon. I figured that if I can do some cooking tonight, I can have things in place for Keiichi tomorrow morning when we leave-"

"I am not going with you tomorrow, Belldandy." Urd said quietly.

Belldandy's eyes widened in surprise. "Urd! Why not? Are you mad at me or something?"

Urd finally looked up, tears had pooled in the corners of her eyes and now freely spilled down her cheeks. "It's because I am banished from heaven, Belldandy! They didn't even give me the benefit of a hearing! They just decided that it would be fitting for me to be struck from heaven, so they did it!"

Urd's head lightly thumped upon the kitchen table. Her shoulders shook as her body was wracked with her sobs. Belldandy jumped up from her chair and came around and stood behind Urd. She reached down and pulled her older sister into an awkward hug. Belldandy's body quivered with the force of Urd's sobs, and soon her own were added to it. She held Urd the best that she could, and gently rocked her.

After a few minutes, Urd's sniffles finally subsided a bit. Belldandy stood and gently massaged her sister's shoulders. She hiccupped a bit, and finally managed to stop crying, herself. Belldandy came around and took the warm tea kettle off the burner, and poured both Urd and herself a steaming cup. She set the kettle down onto an inert burner before she placed the cup before her sister. Urd's tearstained face came up, and she lightly whispered her thanks.

Belldandy and Urd sat there taking occasional sips of tea. Bell looked over at her sister. "Did they say why?" She asked gently.

Urd bit her lip and shook her head. "I really don't understand it at all, Belldandy. I really didn't do all that much, honestly. With the way they treated me, you would have thought that I had been the mastermind of it all. I couldn't even say two words to defend myself! Do they think so little of me up there?"

Belldandy shook her head. "I don't know, Sis." She said quietly. "I always noticed that since we were kids they held you up to a higher standard than many others there in heaven." She gazed sadly at her older sister. "It will definitely be strange to not have you there with me." She glanced toward the door. "I wish both you and Keiichi could be there with me." She looked at her teacup. "I'm really scared, Sis. What do you think they will do with me?"

Urd's eyes were moist again. "I have no idea, Belldandy. I always thought I had a good idea how the pulses of heaven ebbed and flowed up there. This proved to me just how wrong I am." She swirled the dregs of her teacup for a moment before she looked up. "Do you want me to wake Keiichi in the morning before you leave?"

Belldandy looked down. "I…I don't know. Keiichi doesn't know about our trouble, and what I did." She looked up at Urd. "I…I really don't want to tell him about it. I will face whatever consequences they deem necessary, but I don't want him to know. Just tell Keiichi that I was requested back in heaven for a while, and that I will return back to him as quickly as possible."

Urd lightly smiled despite the circumstances. "Well, that is technically the truth, I will give you that." She looked serious again. "Why do you want me to tell him though if he presses about it? You know him, he wouldn't be able to stand not knowing if you were okay and safe."

Belldandy nodded as she gave her older sister a small smile. "Yeah, he can indeed be pretty persistent. I wonder who that reminds me of at times, hmmm?"

Urd gave Belldandy another tiny smile. "Guilty as charged." She grimaced. "Er, so to speak." She stood up. "Would you like some help on getting stuff cooked up for Keiichi?"

Belldandy nodded and smiled thinly. "Yes, Urd, I think I would indeed like that very much."


End file.
